Don Lemon says Elon Musk 'doesn't want to hear different opinions' and is stuck in 'echo chamber of far-right' on X whereas he speaks 'facts'

In the aftermath of his new show's abrupt cancelation on X, Don Lemon criticized Elon Musk for not really wanting to 'hear different opinions,' because he's stuck in a right-wing 'echo chamber.'

In an interview that was released Wednesday, the former CNN host discussed his fallout with Musk on the Press Club podcast with Aidan McLaughlin.

Earlier this month, Lemon's new X show, 'The Don Lemon Show,' was abruptly canceled by Musk, whose company had entered into a commercial deal with the former prime-time anchor.

Musk said he opted against moving forward with the partnership because Lemon's show turned out to be 'basically just CNN, but on social media,' though a number of reports swirled about other potential reasons Musk might've pulled the plug.

Speaking with McLaughlin in the wake of the deal's collapse, Lemon said that despite courting him because he allegedly wanted  'different points of view on his platform,' Musk is actually stuck in an 'echo chamber' of right-wing opinions.

'Especially now on the right where facts don’t matter, and so when they actually hear someone speaking facts, they’ll say, ‘You’re a leftie!’ or ‘You’re against Elon Musk!’ and it’s like, no, I’m just challenging you on the truth,' said Lemon.

Former CNN host Don Lemon said Elon Musk exists in a right-wing 'echo chamber,' which is why the billionaire was so thrown off by their interview earlier this month that led to the cancelation of Lemon's show on X

Though Lemon insisted that his personal politics are likely more centrist and even right-leaning that most would assume based on his public image and career to this point.

'I do think my politics are probably more centrist and even sometimes right, more right than people would assume. Do I have left-leaning politics sometimes or stances on issues? Yeah, I do, but I also have some things where I agree with with folks on the right. I always agree with the truth and facts,' he said.

Despite the very public fallout, Lemon will still be able to post his show on X and is moving forward with its production and release on platforms including YouTube and iHeartRadio. 

Lemon's show as it would have existed on X was unexpectedly axed by Musk just hours after the billionaire sat down for an interview with the former CNN star.

'We had a good conversation. Clearly he felt differently,' Lemon said in a scathing statement, in which he said that he had entered an agreement to stream all of his shows on Musk's platform before the rug was pulled. 

'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.'

In the wide-ranging grilling - which at times sounded more like a deposition than an interview - Lemon took issue with the Tesla CEO's stance on woke ideology, racism, trans rights and drug use. 

The pair frequently disagreed, and traded barbs about neither having 'evidence' to back up their claims. Musk told him that users on X would correct any discrepancies in real time as they watched the interview. 

When quizzed over his prescription ketamine use, Musk appeared to take offense to Lemon's questioning and said it is 'pretty private to ask somebody about a medical prescription.'

Musk has previously hailed the benefits of ketamine use for treating depression, and told Lemon that those that are struggling with their mental health should 'talk to their doctor about ketamine instead of SSRI's.' 

'There are times when I have a negative chemical state in my brain, like depression I guess, or depression that's not linked to any negative news, and ketamine is helpful for getting one out of a negative frame of mind,' he added. 

When asked if he has ever 'abused' the tranquilizing drug, Musk continued: 'I don't think so... if you use too much ketamine you can't really get work done, and I have a lot of work.' 

'It's a prescription from a real doctor, not a, you know...' he added, as the conversation stalled and became awkward. 

'Putting in 16-hour days, that's normal for me, and it's rare for me to even take off a weekend day, so I don't really have a situation where I can be not mentally acute for an extended period of time. 

'I can't really get wasted.' 

Musk noted that he will take a 'small amount' of ketamine every other week on average, and often 'there will be several weeks go by that I don't use it.' 

Musk and Lemon sat down for their interview on Friday, and the former CNN anchor said he found out his show was axed just hours later 

After the cancelation, Lemon claimed that Musk was undercutting his free speech. 

The platform's business account soon clarified that he can still share his program on X, but 'after careful consideration, X decided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show.' 

Lemon said that despite the show being cancelled, he would still air the interview with Musk, which covered a wide range of topics 'from SpaceX to the presidential election.' 

'This will be just the first of many episodes of The Don Lemon Show,' he said. The interview was posted on March 18.

'While Elon goes back on his word, I will be doubling down on my commitment to free speech and I cannot wait to get started.' 

In response, Musk said that he decided to axe his partnership with the show after finding Lemon's approach was 'basically just CNN, but on social media.' 

'And, instead of it being the real Don Lemon, it was really just Jeff Zucker talking through Don, so lacked authenticity,' he said. 

A source added to the New York Post that Musk was 'underwhelmed' at the end of the show, and canned it after 'realizing how bad it was.'

'Don was underwhelming, unprepared and dull,' the insider continued. Although Swisher claimed they clashed over questions about Musk's alleged drug use, the source claimed Lemon failed to ask any interesting or edgy questions. 

'He didn’t ask Musk about (ex-girlfriend) Amber Heard. Elon probably would have liked it,' they added. 

'He was unpolished. He didn’t have producers in his ear. Jeff Zucker used to be in his ear and he would repeat back everything he was told,' they said, noting that Lemon had only a barebones crew that included his fiancé. 

Musk was allegedly angered by Lemon asking about his ketamine usage 

Another former CNN anchor, Brian Stelter, also waded into the argument on X, claiming a source told him the interview was 'like a bad first date.'  

Lemon was ousted from CNN in April 2023 following 17 years with the company, after he sparked backlash with several controversial remarks, including branding Nikki Haley 'past her prime.' 

He also faced allegations from female co-workers who claimed that he had a history of misogynistic behavior, which he denied. 

The X show was intended to be a comeback for Lemon, and he was slated to tape three 30-minute episodes per week. He was recruited for a slate of shows, with deals also recently handed to Tulsi Gabbard and sports host Jim Rome. 

It was reported in January that Lemon entered an exclusive publishing deal with X, which has now seemingly halted monetization he would have received. He countered that he will now be sharing his content on YouTube.  

After releasing his statement, Lemon took to X to release a video of himself walking through New York, where he claimed Musk was 'so upset' about their interview. 

'This does not change anything about the show, except for my relationship with Elon and X,' he said. 

'I know that many of you were not happy that I was doing this in the first place, and you told me so. 

'I just want you to know that I did this deal because not only do I believe in free speech, but I believed that this was my best possible chance for the work that I'm doing to reach the largest amount of people.'