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- Don Lemon said his upcoming show lost its X partnership before the first episode could air.
- The former CNN host said the deal was terminated hours after he interviewed X owner Elon Musk.
- "The Don Lemon Show" is still set to premiere on March 18 — including his interview with Musk.
An interview with Elon Musk appears to have cost Don Lemon his partnership with X, formerly known as Twitter.
The former CNN host shared an update on X alleging that Musk axed a deal with "The Don Lemon Show" just hours after he and Lemon filmed an interview for the premiere episode.
"Elon Musk has canceled the partnership I had with X, which they announced as part of their public commitment to amplifying diverse voices on their platform," Lemon said in his post.
His interview with Musk had "no restrictions," according to Lemon, who described it as a "good conversation."
"Clearly he felt differently," Lemon added. "His commitment to a global town square where all questions can be asked and all ideas can be shared seems not to include questions of him from people like me."
Following his announcement, the official X Business account put out its own statement on the issue. It emphasized the company's support of free speech and assured that "The Don Lemon Show" would be allowed to post its content to X without censorship.
"However, 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," the statement said.
In her own post to X, journalist Kara Swisher said that Lemon's interview included questions about the Tesla CEO's alleged ketamine use.
"Elon Musk is mad at me," Lemon said in a follow-up video posted to X. He said the Tesla CEO is "apparently so upset" about the interview, and "there's a whole lot that went down" and it was "tense" at times.
Musk recruited Lemon to X after he parted ways with CNN. Last year, Musk replied to Lemon announcing his departure from CNN stating that doing his show on X was "worth a try," and promised a "much bigger audience." Musk's X also partnered with former Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson.
Lemon said his interview with Musk will be available on YouTube, podcast platforms, and X on March 18.
"While Elon goes back on his word, I will be doubling down on my commitment to free speech and I cannot wait to get started," Lemon said.