Former CNN host Don Lemon is suing billionaire Elon Musk and X for abruptly canceling their agreement for Lemon to host a show on the platform.
Lemon filed a complaint Thursday in San Francisco court, accusing X of using Lemon’s stardom to boost the platform’s reputation, and failing to compensate him in accordance with the terms of the deal.
“Contrary to the promises and representations made to Lemon, once Defendants were enriched and gained the benefits of using Lemon’s name, likeness, identity, and reputation, they reneged on their express agreement with Lemon and have failed to compensate him, citing to false pretenses for their breach of the partnership agreement,” the lawsuit reads.
Musk terminated the agreement after Lemon challenged the eccentric billionaire in a heated interview.
“X executives used Don to prop up their advertising sales pitch, then canceled their partnership and dragged Don’s name through the mud. You don’t have to be a genius to see the fraud, negligence, and reputational damage here,” Lemon’s attorney told CNN in a statement.
The lawsuit says X agreed to pay Lemon $1.5 million create video content, with additional ad revenue incentives if he posted it to X before other platforms. Since Musk bought Twitter and rebranded it, high-profile creators have begun posting video content onto X, and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson launched his new show on the platform. Musk has allowed X users to monetize engagement, a policy that has dramatically altered news consumption and viral content on the platform, especially because of Musk’s free speech approach to the site.
After Musk ended Lemon’s show, he suggested that Lemon was simply parroting talking points from his old CNN boss Jeff Zucker, and questioned Lemon’s authenticity.
“His approach was basically just ‘CNN, but on social media’, which doesn’t work, as evidenced by the fact that CNN is dying,” Musk said on X when Lemon’s show was shelved. “And, instead of it being the real Don Lemon, it was really just Jeff Zucker talking through Don, so lacked authenticity.”
The platform itself previously defended its choice to end the partnership with Lemon, saying “like any enterprise, we reserve the right to make decisions about our business partnerships, and after careful consideration, X decided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show.”
CNN fired Lemon last year after he made derogatory comments towards Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, and his history of threatening colleagues resurfaced.