Ex-CNN host Don Lemon reportedly presented Twitter CEO Elon Musk with a list of demands for their prospective partnership, including a new Tesla and control of the platform’s news content, according to the Daily Mail.
Lemon and Musk planned to form a partnership to air his new show, “The Don Lemon Show,” on the platform before Musk’s company ended negotiations with the former CNN host. A document provided by the Daily Mail shows that Lemon demanded a Tesla Cybertruck, a trip on a SpaceX rocket to host the first ever podcast in space and power to approve or reject any news or current events talent deals Musk made in the first two years.
Under the deal, Twitter would have to consult Lemon “when making decisions relating to News content on platform/any policy changes re: content” and give him a “percent of budget upon X’s future spend on original content,” the outlet noted.
Lemon also wanted a $5 million advance and $10 million annual marketing commitment from “X,” formerly known as Twitter,” according to the Daily Mail.
“If you look through Don’s asks they fluctuate between the luxurious, to the far-out, to censorship,” one source told the outlet. “Luxurious is you’re asking for a splashy new car and you’re asking for a $5 million up-front payment. Far-out is one of his demands was to be the first podcast in space.”
BREAKING: Don Lemon’s representatives denied the demands he made, but they were lying. DailyMail has obtained paperwork outlining Lemon’s original demands:
• Don wanted control on every creator that was coming to the platform
• Don wanted a voice into what type of news… pic.twitter.com/mTnTSoQCOL
— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) March 19, 2024
“‘So, they’ve got these demands and they’re working through them, but nothing’s been signed. Then he sits down with Elon and Elon’s like, ‘I see where you’re going and I don’t like it,'” the source reportedly continued.
Musk reportedly decided against the planned partnership during his recent interview with Lemon, in which he argued with the tech mogul about diversity, slavery, transgenderism and content moderation. Musk accused the former CNN host of “desperately want[ing] censorship” as Lemon pressed him to remove content “that promotes hate and violence.” (RELATED: Elon Musk Asks Don Lemon To Consider Doing A Twitter-Based Show)
The Don Lemon Show episode 1: Elon Musk
TIMESTAMPS:
(02:23) News on X
(10:07) Donald Trump and Endorsing a Candidate
(13:04) The New Tesla Roadster
(16:46) Relaxation and Video Games
(17:54) Tweeting and Drug Use
(23:19) The Great Replacement Theory
(30:03) Content Moderation… pic.twitter.com/bLRae4DhyO— Don Lemon (@donlemon) March 18, 2024
The interview was posted to Twitter as the first episode of “The Don Lemon Show” on Monday. Three days earlier, Elon tweeted that although he considered Lemon “a pompous fool who spouts nonsense,” he was “still free to upload his show to X and will receive advertising revenue.”
Even though I think Don 🍋 is a pompous fool who spouts nonsense, he is still free to upload his show to 𝕏 and will receive advertising revenue https://t.co/K5LiG3WiI5
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 15, 2024
“Was Elon frustrated? Yes. Did Don show his cards? Yes,” the source reportedly said, according to the Daily Mail, which reported that Musk dropped Elon from partnership talks within hours of the interview.
Lemon announced that Musk ended negotiations because he was “mad” at him for an unspecified reason.