Left-leaning former CNN anchor Don Lemon said Wednesday he is quitting Elon Musk’s social media platform X — blaming the site’s new policy for all legal disputes to be heard in Texas.
Lemon — who is currently suing Musk in California after having his show on X canceled by the mogul — claimed the upcoming switch in the terms of service would hamper free speech.
“I once believed that it [X] was a place for honest debate and discussion, transparency and free speech, but I now feel it does not serve that purpose,” Lemon told his 1.5 million followers on X in a video.
X’s new terms of service, which take effect Friday, mandate that all lawsuits be filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas – not the Western District of Texas, where the company is headquartered.
Ten of the 11 active judges in the Northern District were appointed by a Republican president, compared to six of the 11 judges in the Western District, according to Georgetown University law professor Steve Vladeck.
Lemon quoted a report in The Washington Post, which said X’s new policy “ensures that such lawsuits will be heard in courthouses that are a hub for conservatives, which experts say could make it easier for X to shield itself from litigation and punish critics.”
“I think that speaks for itself,” Lemon said, before plugging his YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky accounts.
Representatives for X did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Users on X were quick to criticize Lemon for fleeing the platform.
“Don lemon leaving X because he can’t district shop for radical judges when he sues small accounts,” one user wrote.
Another suggested Lemon was leaving X because it “no longer censors. I cannot compete in the arena of ideas, therefore, I am leaving. MSM [mainstream media] creating their own extinction: that was easy.”
A third user seemed to suggest Lemon was abandoning X over his contentious relationship with owner Elon Musk.
After Musk abruptly axed plans for Lemon to host a show on X, the former CNN anchor sued Musk over the summer for refusing to pay him.
Musk had fired Lemon hours after a testy sit-down, which was meant to be the show’s premiere episode.
“Remember when Don Lemon tried to make ludicrous demands of Elon Musk in order to do a show on X? That was funny,” the user wrote.
Lemon – despite having been fired from CNN mere months before Musk’s X show offer – allegedly had a lengthy list of extravagant demands for his contract with Musk. He expected a free Cybertruck, hosting dibs on the first podcast in space, a $5 million advance on top of an $8 million salary and equity in the company, as The Post’s previously reported.
In a September filing in San Francisco federal court, Musk and X asked a federal judge to dismiss Lemon’s lawsuit.
Lemon is claiming X defrauded him because he “incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses” to prepare for the show, according to the suit. The suit also claims Musk used Lemon to boost the company’s ad sales.
Musk said he did nothing wrong by allegedly telling Lemon there was “no need” to sign a contract. It was unreasonable for Lemon to rely on a statement and not a written contract for a multimillion-dollar partnership, Musk said.
Carney Shegerian, a lawyer for Lemon, said X’s response confirmed that Musk fired Lemon after the journalist asked questions Musk did not like.
Lemon steered clear of his legal battle with Musk in his “goodbye” video.
The cable host has faced his share of scandals during his 17 years at CNN before being fired in April 2023.
In December 2022, the longtime network anchor reportedly “screamed” at his co-anchor Kaitlan Collins after an on-air segment, according to The Post’s reporting.
One source said Collins “was visibly upset and ran out of the studio.” Another said Collins wanted to “be on set with Don as little as possible” after the incident.