Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk and X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, over a cancelled partnership deal. The lawsuit, filed in California superior court in San Francisco, includes claims of fraud, negligent misrepresentation, misappropriation of Lemon's name and likeness, and breach of express contract.
The dispute stems from Musk abruptly terminating a planned partnership in March, hours after Lemon filmed an interview with him. According to Lemon, Musk texted him “contract terminated” shortly after the interview concluded. Lemon's attorney, Carney Shegerian, stated: “This case is straightforward. X executives used Don to prop up their advertising sales pitch, then canceled their partnership and dragged Don’s name through the mud.”
X CEO Linda Yaccarino initially approached Lemon's agent after his departure from CNN in April 2023, offering to create a new show for the platform. The deal was announced in January, with X declaring itself a “video-first platform”. Lemon's first episode was an interview with Musk at Tesla's Austin headquarters, which became tense as Lemon questioned Musk on topics including white privilege, diversity initiatives, ketamine usage, and antisemitic content on X.
Musk claimed he axed the show due to its creative direction, posting that it was too similar to CNN's content and alleging Lemon was a mouthpiece for former CNN president Jeff Zucker. The lawsuit highlights the broader challenges X faces in attracting mainstream talent and advertisers amid rising extremism and content moderation issues.
