Don Lemon, a former CNN anchor, has taken legal action by filing a lawsuit against Elon Musk and his social media platform, X. Lemon claims that the X owner unjustly terminated their partnership, failed to pay him, and exploited his name to attract advertisers. The lawsuit was officially filed on Thursday in the United States, specifically in California Superior Court in San Francisco.

The fallout between Lemon and X began when Lemon announced in March that Musk would be his first guest in an interview on the platform. However, X subsequently canceled their partnership, stating that Lemon's approach to content creation, characterized as "CNN, but on social media," did not align with their vision. Musk further remarked that Lemon was welcome to try and build a viewership on the platform.

Lemon, a highly regarded prime-time personality, faced professional setbacks after his firing from CNN in April of last year, ending his 17-year tenure at the cable television network. His departure followed a brief stint as a morning show co-host. Meanwhile, X, previously known as Twitter, has been grappling with advertiser retention issues ever since Musk acquired the company in 2022, resulting in a string of controversies.

In January, X made efforts to bolster its video content and attract advertisers by signing Lemon, former US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, and sports radio host Jim Rome. The lawsuit claims that X had agreed to pay Lemon a minimum of $1.5 million, along with additional incentives and a share of the advertising revenue.

"This case is straightforward. X executives used Don to bolster their advertising sales pitch, only to subsequently terminate the partnership and tarnish Don's reputation in the process," stated Carney Shegerian, Lemon's attorney.

The legal action taken by Don Lemon against Elon Musk and X sheds light on the challenges faced by social media platforms in maintaining partnerships, attracting viewership, and retaining advertisers. The outcome of this lawsuit could have significant implications for the future dynamics of the online media landscape.

Note: The information provided in this article is based on the details mentioned in the lawsuit filed by Don Lemon against Elon Musk and X, as presented in the source material.