Former CNN anchor Don Lemon filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk and social media platform X on Thursday, alleging that Musk reneged on a lucrative content deal that fell apart after a contentious interview.
Lemon claims that Musk agreed to pay him $1.5 million annually for exclusive video content on X, alongside a share of advertising revenue and additional incentives tied to follower growth, reported NYT.However, the deal collapsed after a March interview in which Lemon questioned Musk about his drug use and political views.
Lemon’s lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court in San Francisco, asserts that Musk assured him a contract was unnecessary, promising verbal support for the show despite any controversial opinions Lemon might express. The lawsuit also alleges that Lemon was pressured by X executives to publicly announce the partnership at the CES technology conference in January, with the threat of withdrawing the deal if he didn’t comply.
The collaboration between Lemon and X was part of Musk and X CEO Linda Yaccarino’s broader strategy to attract advertisers by creating premium content with well-known personalities. Despite initial promotions and public posts from both Yaccarino and Musk, the fallout from the interview led Musk to abruptly cancel the agreement. He later criticized Lemon’s show concept as unoriginal, saying it resembled “CNN, but on social media,” quoted NYT.
Musk and X have yet to comment on the lawsuit, which accuses them of using Lemon to bolster their advertising pitch before unceremoniously canceling the partnership and damaging Lemon’s reputation.
Lemon claims that Musk agreed to pay him $1.5 million annually for exclusive video content on X, alongside a share of advertising revenue and additional incentives tied to follower growth, reported NYT.However, the deal collapsed after a March interview in which Lemon questioned Musk about his drug use and political views.
Lemon’s lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court in San Francisco, asserts that Musk assured him a contract was unnecessary, promising verbal support for the show despite any controversial opinions Lemon might express. The lawsuit also alleges that Lemon was pressured by X executives to publicly announce the partnership at the CES technology conference in January, with the threat of withdrawing the deal if he didn’t comply.
The collaboration between Lemon and X was part of Musk and X CEO Linda Yaccarino’s broader strategy to attract advertisers by creating premium content with well-known personalities. Despite initial promotions and public posts from both Yaccarino and Musk, the fallout from the interview led Musk to abruptly cancel the agreement. He later criticized Lemon’s show concept as unoriginal, saying it resembled “CNN, but on social media,” quoted NYT.
Musk and X have yet to comment on the lawsuit, which accuses them of using Lemon to bolster their advertising pitch before unceremoniously canceling the partnership and damaging Lemon’s reputation.
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