Don Lemon Explains What Happened in Elon Musk Interview

1. 0:00 – 15:00

   Let's jump right in.…

   1. KSKara Swisher0:00

      Let's jump right in. Don Lemon and Elon Musk have consciously uncoupled.

   2. DLDon Lemon0:06

      Can I introduce myself like I'm a co-host? And I'm Don Lemon. Welcome to Pivot. (laughs)

   3. SGScott Galloway0:11

      There you go, nice. De l'amour. We decided to sex up this podcast.

   4. KSKara Swisher0:18

      Yes, after recording a 90-minute interview last week for Lemon's upcoming show, Musk texted Lemon's rep, "Contract terminated, uh, canceled, contract canceled."

   5. DLDon Lemon0:29

      Hi, Kyra. Hi, Prof G.

   6. NANarrator0:32

      Hey, Ron.

   7. KSKara Swisher0:32

      Hello, Don. What's going on? Listen, we need to stop. We wanna find out what happened. And I know you talked a little bit on CNN last night about it. And welcome back to CNN, by the way.

   8. DLDon Lemon0:41

      That was such a weird experience.

   9. KSKara Swisher0:43

      Why? Why so? 'Cause you were in the building?

   10. DLDon Lemon0:44

       Well, I mean, it was, uh, it was, I went back to the place where, you know, I no longer work-

   11. KSKara Swisher0:48

       Mm-hmm.

   12. DLDon Lemon0:49

       ... almost a year, not quite as- you know, it was April. I was in the same studio. Erin and I always shared a studio. They just, you know, switched the desk around, right, that studio with the stairs. And so they would just switch backgrounds and switch the, the desk around. And all of my entire camera crew and producers were there. It was just, uh, it was just very exciting.

   13. KSKara Swisher1:06

       Was it a happy homecoming? They like you, I know that.

   14. DLDon Lemon1:09

       I mean, ev- everyone, everyone showed up. The people came out of the control room. They came in from... It was, they were very happy to see me.

   15. KSKara Swisher1:15

       Oh, very nice.

   16. DLDon Lemon1:15

       And, and then I was ha- I was happy to see them, but I had to, um, I had to leave, like, I just, because it was too emotional.

   17. KSKara Swisher1:22

       Yes.

   18. DLDon Lemon1:22

       I was gonna start crying.

   19. KSKara Swisher1:23

       Oh.

   20. DLDon Lemon1:24

       Yeah.

   21. KSKara Swisher1:24

       You could cry. That would be okay. But listen, listen, we need to know what happened. But first, I want-

   22. DLDon Lemon1:29

       Okay.

   23. KSKara Swisher1:29

       There's already conspiracy theories, so I'm gonna read this comment on, uh, from a Threads user, sbkurt. "Y'all are so gullible. This is manufactured. Remember when Hostess CupCakes was going bankrupt and out of business and there was a run on Ho Hos? Well, these two ho hos are playing, y'all."

   24. DLDon Lemon1:46

       (laughs)

   25. KSKara Swisher1:46

       Just so you know, people think now it's a plot between you and Elon to boost, uh, watching of this, just so you know.

   26. DLDon Lemon1:52

       That's not it.

   27. KSKara Swisher1:53

       Yeah.

   28. DLDon Lemon1:53

       Kyra, you know that's not it.

   29. KSKara Swisher1:54

       I know it.

   30. DLDon Lemon1:54

       Come on.
2. 15:00 – 30:00

   Mm-hmm. …

   1. DLDon Lemon15:00

      just to say hi-

   2. KSKara Swisher15:00

      Mm-hmm.

   3. DLDon Lemon15:00

      ... or to do something.

   4. KSKara Swisher15:01

      Mm-hmm.

   5. DLDon Lemon15:01

      But I had to leave. And so, uh, I land at Newark Airport on Saturday evening, very rainy Saturday evening.

   6. KSKara Swisher15:09

      Mm-hmm.

   7. DLDon Lemon15:09

      And, uh, my agent calls and says, "Hey, I need you to step out. Where are you? Uh, I got to talk to you." And I said, "I can't." And he goes, "No, I need you to." I said, "I can't. I'm taxiing." And he goes, "Where are you taxiing? In Austin? Are you still there?" And I said, "No, I'm, I just landed in New York."

   8. KSKara Swisher15:23

      Mm-hmm.

   9. DLDon Lemon15:23

      And I said, I, you know... He said, "Well, I, um, I just got a text from, uh, Elon." And I said, "Okay, what did he say?" And he said, "Uh, he's very upset." He read me the text. It was kind of, um, I don't know if I would say vulgar. Um, but...

   10. KSKara Swisher15:36

       Yes, I, I've gotten those texts.

   11. DLDon Lemon15:38

       You would say vulgar?

   12. KSKara Swisher15:39

       Probably. (laughs) Yeah, that's-

   13. DLDon Lemon15:40

       Um...

   14. KSKara Swisher15:40

       ... what's it called?

   15. DLDon Lemon15:40

       And, um, it was very insulting and then he said, uh, "Deal canceled."

   16. KSKara Swisher15:45

       Mm-hmm.

   17. DLDon Lemon15:45

       Or contract canceled.

   18. KSKara Swisher15:46

       Mm-hmm.

   19. DLDon Lemon15:47

       And so I was sitting next to my executive producer, Jonathan Wald, and I said, uh, um, "I'm on with, with Jay and, uh, he said that Elon said the contract was canceled." And we looked at each other like, "What? What? Why?" I don't know. Um, and then, I don't know, in that moment, it was just like, "Good, good." I'm tired of... I, I was... I went into this with my eyes open.

   20. KSKara Swisher16:10

       Mm-hmm.

   21. DLDon Lemon16:10

       But I was so tired of the pushback that I was getting from people who really love me, from, um, people who really supported me. And e- e- although I thought I was doing the right thing, I knew I was doing the right thing because I wanted wha- my work to be presented and amplified to the biggest, to the largest number of people who could receive it.

   22. KSKara Swisher16:33

       Yeah.

   23. DLDon Lemon16:33

       And I do believe, as you know, in free speech, and I do believe that we should have better discourse in this country with people we don't agree with.

   24. KSKara Swisher16:40

       Mm-hmm.

   25. DLDon Lemon16:40

       My mom and I have disagreements all the time.

   26. KSKara Swisher16:43

       Right.

   27. DLDon Lemon16:43

       We... I still go to visit her for Thanksgiving or Christmas or whatever. She's coming to my wedding or whatever. I mean, but... And, and, but we still love each other.

   28. KSKara Swisher16:50

       Right.

   29. DLDon Lemon16:50

       We don't do that in this country because it's-

   30. KSKara Swisher16:51

       She doesn't say-
3. 30:00 – 31:09

   (laughs) …

   1. DLDon Lemon30:00

      maybe even the 60s in Hollywood. Those days are gone, and so people have to become their own brands. You have to become your own studio and your own entrepreneur. The best advice that I got was from Kara Swisher.

   2. KSKara Swisher30:12

      (laughs)

   3. DLDon Lemon30:13

      And it clicked in my head in that moment. I was-

   4. SGScott Galloway30:16

      I remember that.

   5. KSKara Swisher30:17

      (laughs)

   6. DLDon Lemon30:17

      I remember I, I was standing in my kitchen in Sag Harbor.

   7. KSKara Swisher30:19

      Mm-hmm.

   8. DLDon Lemon30:19

      You said, "You're no longer a, a talent. You're an entrepreneur."

   9. KSKara Swisher30:23

      Uh-huh.

   10. DLDon Lemon30:24

       And the minute you said that, I was like, "Fuck yeah, she's right. I'm an entrepreneur."

   11. KSKara Swisher30:28

       Mm-hmm.

   12. DLDon Lemon30:28

       I need to learn how to be a businessman.

   13. KSKara Swisher30:30

       Mm-hmm.

   14. DLDon Lemon30:31

       I had never had to do that because everyone was always taking care of me.

   15. KSKara Swisher30:33

       Yes, 'cause they, they coddle you, Don.

   16. DLDon Lemon30:35

       They coddle me.

   17. KSKara Swisher30:35

       Now it's Don 2.0, lean and mean.

   18. DLDon Lemon30:38

       Mm-hmm. I know. I know. And look, one, just real quick.

   19. KSKara Swisher30:39

       Well, you are lean. You're mean.

   20. DLDon Lemon30:40

       And so, and so, no, I was never mean. But so now I, I'm an entrepreneur, and I have to learn how to be an entrepreneur. And with that, I, I, you know, I tell people, "I don't know this part of the business. Help me out."

   21. KSKara Swisher30:49

       Yeah.

   22. DLDon Lemon30:50

       "Okay. Help me understand this."

   23. KSKara Swisher30:52

       Mm-hmm.

   24. DLDon Lemon30:52

       "I wanna sign every check. I wanna see every invoice."

   25. KSKara Swisher30:55

       Mm-hmm.

   26. DLDon Lemon30:55

       I, like, give it to me. I wanna, I wanna learn how to do it. And so that's where I am now. And guess what? It's hard, but I love it.

   27. KSKara Swisher31:02

       Yeah, it's fun.

   28. DLDon Lemon31:02

       I'm learning. And I, you know what? I am going to be successful.

   29. KSKara Swisher31:05

       There you go.

Episode duration: 31:10