Don Lemon officially leaves X after feud with Musk

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon announced this week he’s gone from Elon Musk’s X, less than a year after a public feud between them.

In a statement Wednesday, Mr. Lemon said he decided to leave X after learning about the site’s new terms of service, which take effect Friday. One of the new policies states that all legal disputes between users and X will be litigated in North Texas.

“As The Washington Post recently reported on X’s decision to change the terms, this ’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,’” Mr. Lemon posted on X.

Mr. Lemon then linked it to his new Bluesky account.

After Mr. Lemon left CNN in 2023, he was invited to launch a talk show on X.

During contract negotiations, Mr. Musk sat down for an interview with Mr. Lemon in what was supposed to be the first episode of his new show. The chat went south, with Mr. Lemon focusing on X’s shift in content moderation policy and Mr. Musk’s drug use.

Then the X owner canceled Mr. Lemon’s show.

This year, Mr. Lemon filed a lawsuit against X and Mr. Musk, alleging the company tricked him into spending resources on a show it never intended to produce.

Mr. Lemon’s departure is part of a grander exodus from Mr. Musk’s X following the 2024 election. In addition to Mr. Lemon, British news outlet The Guardian announced this week it’s leaving the platform.

Overall, X has lost more than 1 million users in the past week to rival Bluesky, with departing users citing bots, harassment and Mr. Musk’s connection with President-elect Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, X remains wildly popular with conservatives who are delighted with Mr. Musk’s opening opinions to all comers.