Former CNN anchor Don Lemon is suing Elon Musk and his social media network X for $35 million, alleging fraud and breach of contract. The lawsuit, reported by Variety, claims Musk and X promised Lemon “full authority and control” over his work, even if disliked by Musk. Additionally, Lemon alleges he never received the guaranteed $1.5 million for the first year of the content deal.
Lemon’s attorney and a representative for X did not immediately comment. The lawsuit follows the abrupt termination of the content partnership in March, just days before its debut. Musk criticized Lemon’s approach as “basically just ‘CNN, but on social media.'”
After the deal’s cancellation, Lemon released the first episode on social media, featuring a contentious conversation with Musk about his ketamine usage. Musk complained about Lemon’s questioning style, calling it “not cogent.”
The lawsuit also claims that Musk and X CEO Linda Yaccarino misrepresented their intentions, aiming to use Lemon’s reputation to improve X’s image after losing major advertisers due to Musk’s endorsement of an antisemitic post. Lemon alleges he spent “hundreds of thousands of dollars” to create his own media company for the X content.
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