Don Lemon sues Elon Musk and X for canceling his talk show

Don Lemon is suing Elon Musk and X implicit the abrupt cancellation of his woody with the societal media platform, alleging fraud, negligent misrepresentation, misappropriation of sanction and likeness, and breach of explicit contract. Lemon’s amusement was canned successful March of this twelvemonth aft a contentious interrogation with Musk — who, according to the complaint, had promised Lemon he’d person escaped rein implicit the contented connected the show.

The ailment — filed August 1st successful the Superior Court of California for San Francisco region — claims that aft advertisers fled Twitter successful the aftermath of Musk’s takeover, Musk and different X executives began courting Lemon with the extremity of publicizing “a concern betwixt X and Lemon” that would subordinate “the X marque with Lemon’s bully name, likeness, identity, and reputation” successful bid to “rehabilitate” X successful the eyes of advertisers.

Lemon entered an exclusive concern woody with X successful January 2024 aft months of negotiations, according to the complaint, which claims Musk initially contacted Lemon successful June 2023 asking him to articulation the platform. The ailment claims Lemon “expressed his reservations … owed to the ongoing controversies surrounding the X platform.” In response, Musk allegedly told Lemon that helium would person afloat power implicit the enactment helium produced — adjacent if Musk oregon others astatine X didn’t similar it — and that determination was “no request for a ceremonial written statement oregon to ‘fill retired paperwork.’”

That December, Lemon met with X executives — CEO Linda Yaccarino and Brett Weitz, astatine the clip X’s Head of Content, Talent, and Brand Sales — for dinner. According to the complaint, Lemon erstwhile again expressed his hesitancy to participate into a concern with the platform. Weeks aft the meeting, Weitz texted Lemon: “You’re acceptable up for a batch of $$ this year,” the ailment claims.

As portion of the deal, Lemon agreed to nutrient 10 short-form videos per period and 1 long-form video per week, and to exclusively people that contented connected X for a 24-hour play earlier it could beryllium posted connected different platforms. The woody guaranteed Lemon $1.5 million, the archetypal $200,000 of which was paid up front, the ailment alleges. The remaining funds were to beryllium paid retired successful quarterly installments, and Lemon would besides person further funds depending connected however galore followers helium got and the magnitude of programmatic advertizing gross generated from his content. As a effect of these fiscal promises, the ailment alleges, Lemon “incurred hundreds of thousands successful expenses” by forming his ain media company, collaborating with his agents, entering a accumulation woody with a contented workplace and accumulation company, and buying equipment.

The X woody fell isolated aft Lemon interviewed Musk successful March. During the “tense” interview, Lemon probed Musk connected his politics, cause use, and the summation successful hatred code connected X since helium took implicit the platform. Lemon asked Musk to remark connected his opinions astir amerciable immigration, the white supremacist “great replacement” conspiracy theory, and absorption to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.

“I don’t person to reply questions from reporters,” Musk told Lemon during the interview. “Don, the lone crushed I’m doing this interrogation is due to the fact that you’re connected the X platform, and you asked for it. Otherwise, we’re not going to beryllium doing this interview.”

Afterward, Lemon learned the woody was disconnected via a substance Musk sent Lemon’s cause that work “contract is canceled.”

Lemon is seeking economic, non-economic, and punitive damages.

X did not instantly respond to The Verge’s petition for comment.