Elon Musk’s social media platform X has abruptly canceled the deliberate “The Don Lemon Present” after the previous CNN anchor recorded an interview with the billionaire for this system’s unaired first episode.
In a submit on X (previously Twitter), the corporate said it “determined to not enter right into a industrial partnership with the present” after “cautious consideration.” Nevertheless, X mentioned Lemon’s content material is “welcome to publish” uncensored, aligning with Musk’s professed “free speech absolutism.”
Lemon claimed in a video that “Elon Musk is mad at me” following their tense interview trade. He plans to launch the complete Musk interview on YouTube and through podcast on Monday.
Although mild on specifics, Lemon implied Musk took difficulty together with his questioning, saying “free speech absolutism doesn’t apply in the case of questions on him from individuals like me.”
Clips present Musk rising combative when Lemon pressed him on content material moderation and unfold of hate speech just like the racist “nice substitute idea” on X.
The Musk Q&A, which might’ve anchored the premiere episode of Lemon’s X present, will nonetheless premiere on the social media platform (in addition to YouTube) on Monday, March 18.
“There have been no restrictions on the interview that he willingly agreed to, and my questions have been respectful and huge ranging, overlaying all the things from Area to the presidential election,” Lemon maintained in Wednesday’s assertion. “We had an excellent dialog. Clearly he felt otherwise.
“His dedication to a worldwide city sq. the place all questions may be askedand all concepts may be shared appears to not embody questions of him from individuals like me,” Lemon added, earlier than noting that The Don Lemon Present will reside on through YouTube.
“This will probably be simply the primary of many episodes of The Don Lemon Present,” he concluded. “Whereas Elon goes again on his phrase, I will probably be doubling down on my dedication to free speech and I can not wait to get began.”
X introduced the Lemon present in January as a part of efforts to bolster content material choices. However the deal seems scrapped after Musk’s obvious displeasure with Lemon’s interview strategy.
The cancellation undercuts Musk’s stance as a free speech champion. Lemon, fired by CNN final yr, accused Musk of hypocrisy for curbing his platform over the contentious sit-down.
The dispute spotlights debates round content material boundaries as Musk remakes X with an absolutist free speech coverage that critics argue allows hate and misinformation to unfold unchecked.
