You may have heard about Don Lemon’s lawsuit against Elon Musk and X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. According to Variety, Don Lemon accuses Elon Musk and X of abruptly cancelling his show, which he says is a breach of their agreement. The lawsuit includes claims of fraud, negligent misrepresentation, misappropriation of his name and likeness, and breach of express contract.
Have you considered doing your show on this platform? Maybe worth a try. Audience is much bigger.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 10, 2023
The unexpected cancellation
In March of this year, Don Lemon’s show was unexpectedly cancelled after a controversial interview with Elon Musk. The complaint, filed on August 1 in the Superior Court of California for San Francisco County, states that Musk had promised Lemon complete creative control over his show. This promise was allegedly made to assure Lemon that he could produce content without interference, even if Musk or others at X disagreed.
The lawsuit claims that many advertisers left the platform after Musk took over Twitter. In response, Musk and other X executives reportedly approached Lemon to create a partnership to leverage Lemon’s reputation to improve the platform’s image and attract advertisers.
The partnership deal
According to the complaint, Lemon and X entered into an exclusive partnership in January 2024, following months of negotiations. Elon Musk initially contacted Lemon in June 2023, inviting him to join the platform. Lemon was hesitant due to the ongoing controversies surrounding X, but Musk assured him that he would have complete control over his content without needing a formal written agreement.
In December, Lemon met with X executives, including CEO Linda Yaccarino and Brett Weitz, the then-head of content, talent, and brand sales at X. Despite Lemon’s continued reservations, Weitz later sent a text message promising substantial earnings for the upcoming year.
As part of the agreement, Lemon was to produce ten short-form videos per month and one long-form video per week, with exclusive publication rights on X for 24 hours before sharing on other platforms. The deal guaranteed Lemon US$1.5 million, with US$200,000 paid upfront. The remaining amount was to be distributed quarterly, along with additional funds based on follower growth and advertising revenue from his content. Lemon invested heavily in his new media company, hired agents, entered into a production deal, and purchased the necessary equipment to fulfil this contract.
The interview and fallout
The deal fell apart following a tense interview in March, where Lemon questioned Musk about his political views, drug use, and the rise of hate speech on X. Lemon also asked Musk about his stance on illegal immigration, the white supremacist “great replacement” theory, and diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
During the interview, Musk responded dismissively, stating, “I donโt have to answer questions from reporters. Don, Iโm only doing this interview because youโre on the X platform, and you asked for it. Otherwise, weโre not going to be doing this interview.”
Following the interview, Lemon received a text message from Musk to his agent stating, “Contract is cancelled.”
Lemon is now seeking economic, noneconomic, and punitive damages in response to the abrupt termination of their agreement.
