Disgraced former CNN host Don Lemon told his X followers on Wednesday that he would be leaving the platform, citing the win by President-elect Donald Trump while leaving unmentioned the failure of his attempt at starting a show of his own.
Lemon, who was fired from his former network following a series of misogynistic statements on-air, sounded a thankful note to those who have engaged with him in the subsequent two years. “I have loved connecting with you all on Twitter and then on X for all of these years. But it’s time for me to leave the platform,” he exclaimed in a video post. “I once believed that it was a place for honest debate and discussion, transparency, and free speech. But I now feel it does not serve that purpose.”
Going on, Lemon said he took issue with new terms of service recently implemented by X which require creators who sue the platform to file in the U.S. Southern District of District in Tarrant County. “This is a hub for conservatives which experts say could make it easier for X to shield itself from litigation and punish critics,” Lemon said. He encouraged followers to continue watching his various other channels.
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Lemon’s falling out with X owner Elon Musk began shortly after Musk invited him to use the platform as a jumping-off point for “The Don Lemon Show,” a semi-regular hourlong broadcast where Lemon offers his unvarnished take on news and current events. He premiered the show by interviewing Musk, but things quickly went south after he asked the entrepreneur and Trump supporter about his therapeutic use of ketamine. Musk ended the interview, and a plan for X to pay Lemon for content production fell apart shortly thereafter. For months, “The Don Lemon Show” has plodded along, drawing thousands of views but doing far worse than similar ventures by Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson, and other prominent media luminaries who have staked out on their own.
Despite his track record of misogynistic statements, including that Nikki Haley is “past her prime,” Lemon has waved the progressive banner in his reporting, calling out Musk for his criticism of diversity, equity, and inclusive initiatives at large corporations and sharpening his criticism of Trump during the campaign. Megyn Kelly reported that Lemon had demanded a laundry list of items as part of his failed deal with X, including a free Tesla Cybertruck, a trip on a SpaceX rocket, and a significant say in Musk’s future media talent deal.
In May it was reported that Lemon and former news anchor Matt Lauer, who was fired from “The Today Show” in 2017 after claims of sexual harassment, were partnering on an “edgy and totally uncensored” program that would draw inspiration from Tucker Carlson’s own burgeoning media empire. “Matt thinks he’s the best thing that ever happened to network TV, and Don is equally resplendent in his own mind. They’ve been talking about collabora
Lemon, Lauer, and Carlson are not the only media figures realizing that staking it out alone may be the most lucrative path forward in today’s media landscape. Fox News anchor Chris Wallace recently declined to renew his contract with CNN, saying he plans to pursue his own program in the podcasting world.