It’s been roughly five days since news emerged that former CNN anchor Don Lemon’s show on X-formerly-Twitter had been canceled by the network’s owner Elon Musk.
Today, the hour-long interview was finally shared in its entirety on X, and it’s tense.
“There were no restrictions on the interview that he willingly agreed to,” Lemon wrote in a statement last week, “and my questions were respectful and wide ranging, covering everything from SpaceX to the presidential election.”
In what the New York Times called a “testy interview,” the pair were clearly at odds, with Musk appearing taken aback by Lemon’s probing questions, particularly when it comes to his drug habits.
And as with many previous instances where Musk has been held to account, the grouchy CEO immediately resorted to taking potshots. In a Friday tweet, Musk accused Lemon of being “a pompous fool who spouts nonsense.”
But Lemon has since fired back in a Sunday interview with People, calling out the billionaire as thin-skinned.
“I went into this with my eyes open,” Lemon said. “I’ve interviewed many world leaders, presidents to convicts, and no one has been more sensitive or touchy than Elon Musk.”
Lemon described Musk’s snowflakey attitude — ironic, since his schtick now is that everyone else is too sensitive — in his interview with People.
“And during the interview and during other interviews, [Musk] constantly says he doesn’t care what people write or say about him,” he said. “For someone who doesn’t care about what people write or say about him, he sure does care about what people write or say about him. He’s not used to being held to account.”
The second richest man in the world has made plenty of enemies in the past, from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to Paris Hilton, using his social media network to hurl personal insults.
Musk’s tenuous connection to reality has also been on thin ice, with the billionaire resorting to furthering conspiracy theories and making outright racist remarks while surrounding himself with far right agitators on X.
“When I questioned him about things that he put out on social media, posted or tweeted, that weren’t factual, it was very uncomfortable for him,” Lemon told People. “To the point to where [he and his team] wanted to see the interview before it aired. Which was a a big capital N no.”
Lemon argued that Musk was “naive” for thinking that he wasn’t going to question Musk’s infamously racist and antisemitic outbursts.
In short, not a lot of love has been lost between the two, and that’s likely going to stay that way for the foreseeable future. Once Musk makes a new personal enemy, things tend to stay that way as Musk holds grudges like no other.
“I learned a lot about him and I think he learned a lot about me,” Lemon said. “Well, he could have, but I think it just went right over his head.”
When asked about the current state of their relationship, the former CNN host had a simple answer.
“Our business relationship is over, so I’ll move on from there,” he said.
More on the spat: Elon Musk Says Ketamine Is His Special Medicine
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