Don Lemon Tells All: CNN, Nikki Haley, His Battle with Elon Musk and Who You Won’t See on His New Show (Exclusive)

All sorts of things are happening in the background of Don Lemon’s little Zoom square right now. He has a painter in his house in Manhattan. There are people walking up and down the stairs. There is a marriage license.

“We just got it today!” Lemon, 58, says as soon as we check in, holding it up with a huge smile. (She says she’ll have a ceremony and reception soon with longtime partner Tim Malone.)

There’s a lot going on in foreground and Lemon’s life, figuratively speaking. The former CNN star has a new show, The Don Lemon Show.

And, before he even premieres on X, formerly Twitter, he’s at loggerheads with his new boss, Elon Musk — who’s also his first guest. Even so, after being off the air for nearly a year, the beloved Emmy-nominated broadcaster is still excited to be back in the game. “I’m energized and excited about the future and kind of on board with what’s going on. But I didn’t sleep much,” says Lemon.

Don Lemon and his fiance Tim Malone.

Don Lemon Instagram

Don Lemon says his talk show deal with X was canceled after tense interview with Elon Musk: ‘He’s mad at me’

The day before our interview, Lemon got a message from Elon Musk. You see, Musk’s platform X has partnered with Lemon to host his new show, which is set to premiere on Monday. This is Lemon’s return to journalism after he was fired from CNN last year.

As a co-host CNN this morning, along with Poppy Harlow and Kaitlin Collins, on February 16, during a segment discussing the age of politicians, Lemon stated that then-presidential candidate Nikki Haley, at 51, was “past her prime”. Lemon continued, “She says…politicians are not in their prime. Nikki Haley is not in their prime. Sorry. Women are considered to be in their prime in their 20s, 30s and maybe 40s.”

When asked by Harlow to clarify what he meant, Lemon replied, “That’s not my thing. … If you Google ‘When is a woman in her prime,’ they’ll say 20s, 30s and 40s.” . No Not necessarily – I’m not saying I agree with that.”

Viewers were quick to call Lemon’s statements sexist and ageist, with many also pointing out that he is five years older than Haley. He apologized that day, and was fired last April.

Don Lemon paid $24.5 million to split from CNN: Report

But last week, after an as-yet-unaired interview with Musk for the first episode of Lemon’s new show, which was to be available exclusively on X, Musk texted Lemon. The deal with X was over, but Lemon was still able to publish content on the platform.

So Lemon went home, sort of. On Wednesday, he went to CNN headquarters in New York to be interviewed by Erin Burnett. After revealing his breakup with Musk, he says Burnett “called me and said, ‘Hey, do you want to come on my show?’ I couldn’t say no.”

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Tears began to well up in his eyes. “Erin helped me get started in primetime on CNN,” Lemon says.

He recalls her kindness years ago, before he had his own prime-time show, Don Lemon tonight. “I exchanged her for maternity leave. She could have said, ‘No, I don’t want him to replace me,’ but she was very supportive. She told her staff to work with me and give me everything I need, all the support I need. She also gave me that support,” he explains.

Here’s an exclusive PEOPLE interview with Lemon.

PEOPLE: Was it easy coming back to CNN last week?

LEMON: I don’t know if I wanted to go back, but I couldn’t say no. But it makes me very emotional because there were so many people in that building last night who walked into the studio, left their desks, left the control room, just to come say goodbye. And to thank me for what I did, just to say: “I’m sorry this happened to you. We miss you. And that meant a lot to me.”

PEOPLE: How do you feel about that day today? CNN this morning, along with Poppy Harlow and Kaitlin Collins, when did you make the remarks about Nikki Haley?

LEMON: Look, I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about that and thinking about Nikki Haley. I’d rather not discuss it. I moved on and Nikki Haley moved on. My comments were misinterpreted and that’s that. I explained. I apologized for that.

We all go through painful times and obviously my coming out was very painful. But that pain subsided. I took that pain and I accepted that challenge and turned it into success. So was it very painful? That. So, do I wish my exit from CNN had been different? Absolutely, but as it is, I can’t go back and change the past. I don’t have a time machine. And it’s very interesting because I asked Elon a very similar question. I asked, “Is there anything you would change?” And he said, “No, I don’t have a time machine to go back.” And I actually agree with him on that.

What I said [on Feb. 16 on the air] I think it was misinterpreted, but there were other things going on that I may not have known about, so that’s all I have to say on the subject.

Don Lemon spoke for the first time after being fired from CNN: ‘I have a responsibility to tell the truth’

PEOPLE: You have always been a pioneer in your career. For years, you were one of the few, if not the most prominent gay black men at the anchor desk.

LEMON: Pioneers don’t look back. There was no one before you, so you make the way. And you will get all the slings and arrows. Then everyone gets in and slowly drives in. It wasn’t easy, but I love it. People rarely give you flowers on the spur of the moment, but I have people come up to me all the time and say, “Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve done for me.”

PEOPLE: And now you are on a new track, with a new show.

LEMON: As I said on Time 100 galas, “I wanted to do something that scared me.” Such an idea was running through my head. I always knew that the future was going to be in streaming and it was going to be on these little devices. Whether I left CNN or not, I was going to stick with it. To talk about things that are in the zeitgeist, to bring up issues that may not be able to be addressed or at least put on a platform on traditional television. I have the opportunity to talk for much longer without having to rush to commercial breaks. I can have real conversations and not have to worry about what you’re saying, is it advertiser-friendly, does it have to be sanitized? I don’t have to worry about that. I can have real conversations.

Don Lemon at the Time 100 Gala last year.

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

PEOPLE: Did you have any doubts about joining forces with Elon Musk and X? The platform – and Musk – have a reputation for intolerance, anti-Semitism, transphobia. Not the most accepting culture.

LEMON: I disagree, quite frankly, with most of what Elon Musk tweets and talks about. But he owns X, which is ex-Twitter. And it is one of the largest social media and information platforms in the world. I thought it was the best opportunity to reach the biggest audience so people could see the work I do. Also, unlike Elon Musk, I truly believe in freedom of speech.

PEOPLE: Why did you choose Musk for the first show?

LEMON: As the show began to be realized, we began to think about the guests. I said, “Who would be the best guest for the first show? Who would have the biggest impact?” And I said, “I think it would be Elon Musk because this show is going to be about real free speech and it’s going to be a global town hall for everybody. Elon Musk would be the best person.” We got to him. He said yes, willingly, and the rest is history.

PEOPLE: You must have had the idea that everything could fall apart.

LEMON: The possibility that Elon Musk is unpredictable and fickle, yes. Of course I knew that. I went into this with my eyes open. I have interviewed many world leaders, from presidents to convicts, and no one has been more sensitive or sensitive than Elon Musk. Both during interviews and during other interviews, he keeps saying that he doesn’t care what people write or say about him. For someone who doesn’t care what people write or say about him, he sure does care what people write or say about him. He is not used to responsibility. He’s not used to being accountable to anyone, especially someone like me who doesn’t share his worldview, who doesn’t look like him. You know what I’m saying? When I questioned him about things he was saying on social media, posting or tweeting, which were not factual, he was very uncomfortable. To the point where [he and his team] wanted to see the interview before it aired. What was the large capital N no.

PEOPLE: What did you want to happen with this interview? Some people would say, “Don’t give him airtime, even more than the audience.”

LEMON: My philosophy back then, when I was working in cable, was that no one ever wins an argument on cable news. I just wanted us both to be authentic. there was so much to get out of the way. “Why did you tweet this about black people? Why did you say that about DEI? Why did you say that about a female pilot? Why did you say that about Jews?” I had to know that and the audience had to know that. And if he thought that it wouldn’t happen, it was really naive if he thought that.

He is a very consistent person for the world. He controls the satellites. Electric cars, automotive industry. Rockets, space and one of the largest information platforms in the world.

I learned a lot about him and I think he learned a lot about me. Well, he could, but I think it just went over his head.

Don Lemon and partner Tim Malone dress up as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for Halloween

PEOPLE: What is the current state of your relationship with Musk?

LEMON: Our business relationship is over, so I’ll move on.

PEOPLE: Who’s next on your show?

LIMON: We have an ambassador to the United Nations. We have Sheryl Lee Ralph.

PEOPLE: Any chance for Nikki Haley?

LEMON: No, but I’ll tell you, I invited Nikki Haley. She refused. I wish I had talked to her, and I wish, I wish I had a chance to explain to her, to tell her exactly, uh, what I was thinking. Because I actually think she is a very viable woman. As I said, my comments were misinterpreted. But I’d like to have her on, And if she wants to come, I’d, I’d like to have her. I would say hello to her.

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