Former CNN star presenter Don Lemon has filed a lawsuit against multi-billionaire Elon Musk and his social media company X, formerly known as Twitter, over the cancellation of a talk show deal. The lawsuit alleges that Mr. Musk and his company unfairly terminated a partnership with Mr. Lemon and refused to pay him after using his name to promote the social media platform with advertisers.
According to a post on the Facebook page of the law firm representing Mr. Lemon, Shegerian & Associates, the lawsuit alleges fraud, negligent misrepresentation, and misappropriation of name and likeness. The filing with the California Superior Court in San Francisco claimed that X had agreed to pay Mr. Lemon $1.5 million, along with a share of advertising revenue generated by his content. It also stated that Mr. Musk and X used false promises and representations to persuade Mr. Lemon to agree to the partnership, only to cancel it after he had already spent thousands of dollars on creating the show.
The deal, which would have seen The Don Lemon Show appearing on X, collapsed abruptly in March after the recording of the first episode, which featured an interview with Mr. Musk. In a post on X following the deal falling through, Mr. Musk criticized Mr. Lemon’s approach, stating that it was essentially “CNN, but on social media,” which he believed wouldn’t work.
Mr. Lemon, who had been with CNN for 17 years before being fired in April 2023, was approached by Mr. Musk shortly after his exit from the network. At the time, Mr. Musk was looking to attract advertisers back to the social media platform, which had been facing controversies following his takeover in 2022.
This lawsuit adds to the ongoing challenges faced by X, as it tries to rebuild its reputation and attract advertisers back to the platform. The departure of celebrity socialite Paris Hilton’s entertainment company from X’s advertising campaign further highlights the concerns surrounding the platform’s content moderation policies. It remains to be seen how this legal battle between Don Lemon and Elon Musk will unfold and what implications it may have for X’s future.
