Don Lemon Announces He's Launching New Show on X
Kara Swisher (host), Scott Galloway (host)
In this episode of Pivot, featuring Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway, Don Lemon Announces He's Launching New Show on X explores don Lemon Bets On X As CNN And TV Evolve Rapidly Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway dissect Don Lemon’s decision to launch a new show first on X, arguing he chose a risky, weak umbrella brand despite being a strong on‑air talent. They compare his move to alternative paths followed by Megyn Kelly and others who built independent, subscription-based or podcast-first empires with more control and better economics. The conversation broadens into a critique of X’s late, under-resourced pivot to video and Linda Yaccarino’s splashy talent deals strategy. They contrast that with Mark Thompson’s more deliberate, subscription- and product-focused vision for CNN’s digital and AI-driven future, integrated with platforms like Max rather than relying on external platforms.
Don Lemon Bets On X As CNN And TV Evolve Rapidly
Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway dissect Don Lemon’s decision to launch a new show first on X, arguing he chose a risky, weak umbrella brand despite being a strong on‑air talent. They compare his move to alternative paths followed by Megyn Kelly and others who built independent, subscription-based or podcast-first empires with more control and better economics. The conversation broadens into a critique of X’s late, under-resourced pivot to video and Linda Yaccarino’s splashy talent deals strategy. They contrast that with Mark Thompson’s more deliberate, subscription- and product-focused vision for CNN’s digital and AI-driven future, integrated with platforms like Max rather than relying on external platforms.
Key Takeaways
Choosing the right platform brand matters as much as the show itself.
Launching on X ties Don Lemon’s personal brand to a platform associated with controversy and erratic leadership, which Kara and Scott argue creates a negative halo compared with building on more established or neutral podcast and subscription platforms.
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High-profile anchors can often earn more by owning their media products.
Megyn Kelly is cited as an example of someone who controls her distribution and monetization directly, illustrating that in today’s market, big names may do better by operating independently rather than signing traditional or platform-controlled deals.
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Upfront money is essential when dealing with unstable or litigious platforms.
Kara stresses that Don Lemon should secure payment upfront given X’s track record of not paying severance and obligations to former employees, underscoring the need for strong financial protections in deals with volatile owners.
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X is late and underpowered in the video race against entrenched competitors.
They argue YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Reddit and others already dominate online video with superior product, engineering, and capital, making X’s pivot to video look more like a reactive PR play than a credible, scalable strategy.
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Splashy talent deals are no substitute for true digital-native programming strategy.
Linda Yaccarino’s recruitment of figures like Don Lemon and Tulsi Gabbard is framed as an old-school, CES-style approach that assumes big names drive success, ignoring that today’s breakout video stars (e. ...
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News brands like CNN must move toward subscription-based, owned digital products.
Drawing on Mark Thompson’s New York Times experience, they suggest CNN should build a paid digital product (likely integrated into Max) where CNN is the ‘ingredient brand’ for news, rather than relying heavily on platforms like YouTube or X for reach and monetization.
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AI will likely personalize and reshape how audiences consume news content.
Kara notes Thompson’s interest in using generative AI to build more personalized, interactive relationships with news content, signaling that CNN’s future may blend human reporting with AI-driven delivery and customization.
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Notable Quotes
“To kind of announce this, it's not just Don Lemon and what the topic is, it's Don Lemon and X, and X, in my view, is a bad umbrella brand.”
— Scott Galloway
“This is a media strategy by someone who doesn't know media, which would be Musk and Linda Yaccarino.”
— Kara Swisher
“CNN+ was directionally correct, but there was no CNN. It was like hamburger plus without hamburger.”
— Kara Swisher
“I would be the world's largest TV network and your distribution platform is the internet.”
— Scott Galloway
“We have to own it and not be subject to other people's platforms.”
— Kara Swisher, paraphrasing Mark Thompson
Questions Answered in This Episode
How might Don Lemon’s association with X affect the type of guests, advertisers, and audience he can attract compared with launching independently or on a different platform?
Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway dissect Don Lemon’s decision to launch a new show first on X, arguing he chose a risky, weak umbrella brand despite being a strong on‑air talent. ...
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
What specific steps would a legacy TV anchor need to take to build a Megyn Kelly–style independent media business today?
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Can X realistically catch up in online video, and what structural or product changes would be required for it to compete with YouTube and TikTok?
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How should CNN balance being an ‘ingredient brand’ inside Max with building its own distinct, potentially paid, digital news product?
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In practical terms, what would an AI-personalized news experience from a brand like CNN look like for an everyday user, and how might it change trust in news?
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Transcript Preview
Don Lemon is back and he says he's bigger, bolder, freer. He was pretty free. Lemon announced this week that he's starting a new show that will stream exclusively first on X. So it's a podcast that's gonna be first on X-
Mm-hmm.
... I guess, which, uh, you know, they've been, uh, Linda's been going around. I knew a lot about this because I talked to Don about it, uh, quite a bit. I had other suggestions for him. I suggested he do a deal with Ben Shapiro or m- do the Megyn Kelly route. I didn't think this was a good idea, so that, that's just full disclosure. Um, and I told him so, and I said, "You know, get the money up front. Um, uh, I just don't think it's gonna go well for you on this platform." Uh, but, uh, but he d- he did it. Uh, he, uh, he's other things he's doing, you know, he's... But he also called X "the biggest space for free speech in the world." Um, I think, uh, it was also Tulsi Gabbard and sports commentator Jim Rome are doing video partnerships. Obviously, Tucker Carlson's been there, but then moved to his own subscription-based platform. Um, Scott, what do you think? I, I said he shouldn't do it. I thought there were lots of other choices. And again, if I'm recommending Ben Shapiro, who I, who I think is abhorrent in many ways, but he's quite a good media executive, that's the kind of outfit I thought he should have affiliate, you know, to, to create a great media property.
I, I think you're right. Um, so first off, I think, I think Don is a, is a real talent, and I think he's unafraid, he connects with people, he's really handsome, which I think is incredibly important in media. Um, not as important in podcasting. But if I were him, I would've just started with a podcast with a Vox or, you know, Daily, you know, whatever it's called, Daily Wire, and developed a following there because X sort of creates a halo that, okay, congratulations, you're now, you know, on the same platform as Alex Jones, and the guy who runs it is just sort of reckless and strange. And I don't... This reminds me a little bit of when Yahoo did a big deal with Katie Couric. It just, it's not-
Yes, I broke all those stories.
... it's not-
Mm-hmm.
I, I don't... This is not what I would have done if I was Don. Uh, if I were Don, I would have figured out an outlet where I could still have a 30 or 60-minute show because, uh, he has a face for television (laughs) and, uh, I do think him in TV is still, uh, he would still do well even if he had to go to a "second tier" network, and he should have done a great podcast. To kind of announce this, it's, it's, it's not just Don Lemon and the, what the topic is he gonna talk about, it's Don Lemon and X, and X, in my view, is a bad umbrella brand.
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