DON Lemon has returned to CNN after his firing to reveal the conversation he had with Elon Musk before X, formerly Twitter, abruptly ended its partnership with Lemon.
Lemon said he pressed Musk on alleged ketamine use, a recent meeting with former President Donald Trump, and better moderation on X.
The appearance came just hours after X confirmed it was ending its partnership with Lemon – and the same day as his chat with Elon Musk took place.
Lemon, who has not appeared on CNN since he was booted from the network last year, suggested Musk does not care about moderation on X.
He also stressed the level of responsibility the Tesla boss carries, probing him on topics discussed on his platform, including free speech and drugs.
“Apparently (free speech), that doesn’t matter to Elon Musk maybe it’s just talking points,” Lemon said during the CNN interview with Erin Burnett.
“He has a responsibility as the owner to moderate his content and be more careful about it.”
A clip then showed the ex-CNN anchor asking Musk about his views on ketamine, a topic Musk has spoken out about on X in the past.
“The reason I mentioned the ketamine prescription on the X platform was because I thought maybe this is something that could help other people,” Musk said in his interview with Lemon.
“Obviously I’m not a doctor but I would say if someone has depression issues they should consider talking to their doctor about ketamine rather than SSRIs.”
Lemon defended the exchange in the CNN studio, insisting the chat only “got personal” because it is something Musk has “spoken freely of” as well as being “extensively written about by credible organizations.”
“I would not have brought it up,” Lemon told Burnett.
“He posted it. So I asked him about it.
“Elon Musk is responsible for Satellite, for Starlink, he is responsible for Tesla, he is responsible for a number of different companies on the stock market and I think it is important for people to understand his mindset, whether he is using drugs illegally or not.”
The Wall Street Journal reported in June last year that Musk uses ketamine – a drug that can legally be prescribed for depression but is illegal when used recreationally.
Musk’s dad has previously defended the claims, speaking out after his son smoked marijuana on the Joe Rogan podcast prompting Nasa to carry out a Space X safety review.
He added, “I’m criticized constantly, I couldn’t care less.”
RUN-IN WITH TRUMP
During the chat, Lemon went on to ask Musk about a recent encounter he had with Trump.
Musk said he was having breakfast at a friend’s house and Trump showed up.
“I was at a breakfast at a friend’s place and Donald Trump was invited. That’s it,” Musk said.
Musk was asked if he was leaning towards anyone election-wise and he said, “No. I’m leaning away from Biden.”
Lemon asked Musk if he would help Trump pay any of his legal bills and he responded, “I’m not going to pay his legal bills in any way shape, or form.”
Musk was also asked by Lemon referring to Trump, “Did he ask for a donation and he denied saying, “No.”
SHOW AXED
Lemon was left confused after X canceled the partnership with his show because he said the company majorly pursued him.
Lemon snapped back when he was asked about Musk being his boss and ensured he had no control over his show.
“He never was my boss, he never had any editorial control. I wanted my work to be seen by the biggest number of people who could see it,” Lemon told Burnett.
He had announced the partnership in January and said, “Elon publicly encouraged me to join X with a new show, saying I would have his ‘full support,’ and that his ‘digital town square is for all.”
“I made the decision to work with them in a unique partnership that I believed would ultimately assure that my work would be available to the most people, in the largest possible venue.
“I took Elon and his management team’s word that they, for the first time, were interested in working directly with new and diverse voices.”
X was due to exclusively host Lemon’s new talk show with the Musk interview being the premiere.
Musk scrapped the partnership hours after sitting down with Lemon for the show, leaving Lemon baffled with a text that read, “contract terminated.”
In response to the terminated contract, Lemon said he felt he and Musk, “Had a good conversation.”
But it was highlighted that Musk must have had a different outlook on the interview.
“Clearly he felt differently. 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.