SAN FRANCISCO (AP) \u2014 Elon Musk abruptly canceled \u201cThe Don Lemon Show\u201d on his social media network X after the former CNN anchor recorded an interview with the billionaire for its as-yet unaired first episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Musk owns X, formerly known as Twitter, and frequently proclaims himself a \u201cfree speech absolutist.\u201d In a post on X<\/u><\/a>, the San Francisco-based company said only that after careful consideration, it \u201cdecided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show.\u201d It added that Lemon\u2019s show \u201cis welcome to publish its content on X, without censorship, as we believe in providing a platform for creators to scale their work and connect with new communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a video posted to X, Lemon declared that \u201c Elon Musk is mad at me<\/u><\/a> \u2033 and said he will be airing his interview with the Tesla CEO on YouTube and via podcast on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lemon didn\u2019t go into specifics about the source of Musk\u2019s alleged unhappiness, but wrote, \u201cThroughout our conversation, I kept reiterating to him that although it was tense at times, I thought it was good for people to see and hear our exchange and that they would learn from our conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut apparently free speech absolutism doesn\u2019t apply when it comes to questions about him from people like me,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a later CNN discussion with Lemon on Monday, anchor Erin Burnett played clips of his Musk interview in which the Tesla and SpaceX CEO grew testy when asked about content moderation and the spread of hate speech on the X platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>In the clip, Lemon asked Musk if he believed that he and his social platform held any responsibility to moderate hate speech on X. He singled out the spread of the \u201c great replacement theory<\/u><\/a>,\u201d a racist belief that, in its most extreme form, falsely contends that Jews are behind a plot to diminish the influence of white people in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Musk replied sharply that he doesn\u2019t have to answer questions from reporters. \u201cThe only reason I\u2019m in this interview is because you\u2019re on the X platform and you asked for it,\u201d he said. \u201cOtherwise I would not be doing this interview.\u201d When Lemon followed up with a question about the criticism Musk has faced over the issue of hate speech, the CEO replied, \u201cI\u2019m criticized constantly. I could care less.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n X announced in January<\/u><\/a> a \u201cnew content partnership\u201d with Lemon for the show, saying it would post 30 minute episodes three times a week on subjects including politics, culture, sports and entertainment. That deal was part of the struggling platform\u2019s efforts<\/u><\/a> to bolster its content offerings and attract advertisers. X also announced shows<\/u><\/a> hosted by former member of Congress Tulsi Gabbard and sports radio host Jim Rome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lemon was fired by CNN<\/u><\/a> last year after a 17-year run with the network. His ouster came a little over two months after he apologized for on-air comments<\/u><\/a> about then-Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley not being in \u201cher prime\u201d that he made during his short run as a morning show host.<\/p>\n\n\n\n