Elon Musk said his brief business relationship with Don Lemon “went sour” after an “invasive and charged interview” with the ex-CNN host last year, according to court documents obtained by TheWrap. The combative interview, Musk said, led to him ditching his $1.5 million deal with Lemon.
Lemon sued Musk in August 2024, claiming the X owner refused to pay him after a content deal between the two blew up following the contentious interview. Musk, according to his filing in California Supreme Court, on Monday, is now aiming to have the lawsuit thrown out; a hearing has been set for Feb. 26.
According to the billionaire’s latest filing, Lemon “repeatedly — and publicly — interrogated Musk in a sprawling interview about, among other topics, his ability to run his companies, including X; his political and ethical beliefs; his mental health; and his use of prescription medication.”
“Upset with the rupture of the potential commercial relationship and the all-too foreseeable consequences of his actions, [Lemon] filed this lawsuit,” the filing suggested.
X CEO Linda Yaccarino recruited Lemon to start hosting interviews on X after his departure from CNN in 2023. The partnership went sideways soon after Lemon interviewed Musk, though, in the first episode of his X show. You can watch that interview by clicking here.
“This case isn’t about free speech — as the whole world knows, Musk says whatever he wants, whenever he wants,” Carney Shegerian, Lemon’s attorney, said in a statement to Bloomberg. “It’s about X intentionally and carelessly misleading my client, causing him serious financial and reputational damage.”
Lemon, like many other celebrities and media pundits, ditched X following the 2024 election, saying the platform was not a place for “honest debate.”
Bloomberg was first to report the news.
