Don Lemon demanded Tesla Cybertruck, $5M advance, fairness in X earlier than Elon Musk canned him: sources
Don Lemon demanded the solar, the moon and the celebs from the SpaceX boss – before being unceremoniously dumped this week, The Publish has discovered.
The ex-CNN anchor despatched over an astronomical want listing to Elon Musk throughout contract talks to host a present on the billionaire’s social media platform X – together with a free Tesla Cybertruck, a $5 million upfront cost on prime of an $8 million wage, an fairness stake within the multibillion-dollar firm, and the appropriate to approve any modifications in X coverage because it pertains to information content material, in response to a doc reviewed by The Publish.
Lemon — who was anticipated to air an interview with Musk for subsequent week’s debut episode on X — had additionally demanded a non-public jet flight to Las Vegas, a set for him and his fiance, and that the corporate pay for his or her day consuming and massages, a supply with information of the scenario mentioned.
Musk agreed to do the interview with Lemon even supposing he was conscious of a few of Lemon’s outlandish calls for, sources informed The Publish.
The proposal reviewed by The Publish was despatched from Lemon’s brokers at United Expertise Company to X’s management in December.
The partnership was announced in January, however an X spokesperson informed The Publish that the corporate “didn’t have a ultimate or signed settlement with Don Lemon or ‘The Don Lemon Present’” earlier than Musk sat down for the explosive interview final week.
X declined to touch upon the main points of the doc.
Jay Sures, vice chairman at UTA, informed The Publish: “That is absolute, full utter nonsense with out an iota of fact to it.”
Lemon was fired hours after the one-on-one sit-down, with Musk calling the anchor “boring” and “underwhelming.”
The one-and-half hour grilling included testy exchanges about Musk’s political leanings, his previous drug use and the positioning’s content material moderation coverage. It’s scheduled to run on YouTube subsequent week.
Lemon claimed on Wednesday that he was jettisoned by X as a result of Musk reneged on his “free speech” pledge.
Lemon’s discussions with the corporate started shortly after he was fired by CNN final April after a sequence of high-profile incidents, in response to sources with information of the scenario.
In an interview with veteran tech journalist Kara Swisher on Friday, Lemon claimed they held discussions over the summer season wherein the corporate threatened to fireside him if he didn’t attend the Shopper Digital Present in Las Vegas.
CES, which was held earlier this yr between Jan. 7 and 10, is without doubt one of the most extremely anticipated occasions on the tech calendar as corporations together with X flock to the present in an effort to schmooze advertisers.
A spokesperson for X known as Lemon’s declare “a disingenuous lie.”
Lemon wished to be flown to the conference together with his longtime fiance on a non-public jet and be put up in a non-public suite, in addition to for X to foot the invoice for alcoholic drinks and massages that he and his fiance ordered throughout their keep on the Vdara, the MGM-run resort on the Las Vegas Strip, in response to individuals conversant in the matter.
The negotiations progressed after Musk introduced former NBCUniversal promoting government Linda Yaccarino on board as chief government officer of X, sources mentioned.
However the talks stalled over Lemon’s in depth calls for, which included government assistants in addition to a advertising finances that ranged from $10 million to $15 million, individuals with information of the scenario informed The Publish.
A spokesperson for Lemon informed The Publish: “There’s nothing in your listing of calls for that you just declare Don fabricated from X that’s true. Actually nothing.”
