X Won't Give Don Lemon Business Now That He Gave Elon Musk the Business
The Don Lemon Show was supposed to be one of the first programs featured in Twitter/X's groundbreaking pivot to video. Instead, Twitter has terminated its agreement with Lemon days before the first episode was supposed to air following an interview Lemon conducted with Elon Musk. In January, Lemon announced his new show on Twitter, which he had called the "biggest space for free speech in the world."
According to Kara Swisher, Musk canceled the show after taping the interview, which included "questions about his ketamine use."
SCOOP: As I told him would happen, @donlemon, the owner of this platform Elon Musk sent a terse text to his reps: “Contract terminated” after an interview Lemon did with Musk last Friday that was not to the adult toddler’s liking, including questions about his ketamine use.
— Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) March 13, 2024
In a statement, Lemon said that the show will go on and will still be available on YouTube and wherever podcasts can be heard. The first episode, featuring the Musk interview, will be posted on Twitter as well.
News from me…#TheDonLemonShow pic.twitter.com/PzlKuvkZtj
— Don Lemon (@donlemon) March 13, 2024
Twitter's official business profile tweeted the following explanation saying that Lemon, like all the other unpaid creators who still use the site, is free to upload his show. It added that the company decided not to enter into a "commercial partnership" with him.
X is a platform that champions free speech, and we’re proud to provide an open environment for diverse voices and perspectives. The Don Lemon Show is welcome to publish its content on X, without censorship, as we believe in providing a platform for creators to scale their work…
— Business (@XBusiness) March 13, 2024
Musk originally invited Lemon to do his show on Twitter in May 2023, a little more than two weeks after Lemon was fired by CNN. In January, right after Lemon announced he'd be joining X, CEO Linda Yaccarino tweeted about "building a whole video ecosystem in plain sight." She mentioned Lemon alongside Tucker Carlson, Tulsi Gabbard, Jim Rome, Paris Hilton and Mr. Beast.
Building a whole video ecoystem in plain sight…@TuckerCarlson, @TulsiGabbard, @donlemon, @jimrome, @ParisHilton, @MrBeast…Who’s next? 🤔
— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayaX) January 16, 2024
Out of all those names, Carlson appears to be the only one who has actually started putting full episodes of anything on Twitter/X. With Lemon having his deal canceled a week before he was supposed to start, that's a fairly low influencer conversion rate so far. Perhaps they're waiting for the advertisers to return.