Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon have much in common. Both worked for CNN and MSNBC at one point in their respective careers; both were primetime hosts, and both were let go from their respective networks on the same day. Now, they are using X, formerly Twitter, to resurrect their broadcasting careers.
Lemon plans to launch The Don Lemon Show in the coming weeks, a triweekly, 30-minute show streaming on the social media platform. Lemon made the announcement on X, saying his new show will be available “to everyone, easily, whenever and wherever you want it, streaming on the platforms where the conversations are happening.”
He added, “I know now more than ever that we need a place for honest debate and discussion without the hall monitors. This is just the beginning, so stay tuned.”
— Don Lemon (@donlemon) January 9, 2024
Lemon was dismissed from CNN by the network’s former Chairman and CEO, Chris Licht, in 2022 after a tumultuous period as the co-anchor of CNN This Morning. At the time, he was one of the network’s longest-tenured and most recognizable on-air personalities.
Lemon faced criticism, both internally and externally, after making misogynistic remarks on CNN This Morning towards 2024 Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley in March 2023. He was suspended for his comments and promised to undergo subsequent rehabilitation, which Licht mandated.
Interestingly, Lemon has used the platform formerly known as Twitter to communicate with his audience directly. During his suspension from CNN, he used it to issue an apology to his colleagues, and the CNN audience, pledging to listen, learn, and commit to doing better.
He also used it to break the news of his dismissal from CNN, stating, “I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned. After 17 years at CNN, I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly.”
— Don Lemon (@donlemon) April 24, 2023
Lemon returns to X, praising the social media platform as “the biggest space for free speech in the world.”
It should be noted that X suspended the accounts of several journalists and pundits with no explanation on Tuesday morning. This includes Ken Klippenstein, Steven Monacelli, and Alan MacLeod.
Lemon was not the only one to sign a new content deal with X; longtime sports radio host Jim Rome and former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard will also launch new shows on the platform.
X also announced a 10-show deal on Tuesday with Range Media Partners.