Don Lemon has joined the growing list of stars and public figures who have decided to leave X, formerly known as Twitter.
The television journalist made his announcement Wednesday morning, prompted by news regarding the social media platform’s new terms of service. The former CNN host stated, “I’ve loved connecting with all of you on X, but it’s time for me to leave the platform. I once believed it was a place for honest debate and discussion, transparency, and free speech, but I now feel it does not serve that purpose.”
Lemon further explained, “In addition, starting this Friday, November 15, X is implementing new terms of service, which among other things states that ‘All disputes … be brought exclusively in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas or state courts located in Tarrant County, Texas.’”
He concluded by adding, “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.’ I think that speaks for itself. You can find me on YouTube (@TheDonLemonShow), on TikTok, Facebook (@DonLemon), Instagram.”
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The news of Lemon’s departure from X comes just hours after the well-respected publication The Guardian announced that it, too, would be leaving the platform. In a statement, the British newspaper said,
“We wanted to let readers know that we will no longer post on any official Guardian editorial accounts on the social media site X (formerly Twitter). We think that the benefits of being on X are now outweighed by the negatives and that resources could be better used promoting our journalism elsewhere.
This is something we have been considering for a while, given the often disturbing content promoted or found on the platform, including far-right conspiracy theories and racism. The U.S. presidential election campaign served only to underline what we have considered for a long time: that X is a toxic media platform and that its owner, Elon Musk, has been able to use its influence to shape political discourse.
Social media can be an important tool for news organizations and help us to reach new audiences, but at this point, X now plays a diminished role in promoting our work. Our journalism is available and open to all on our website, and we would prefer people to come to theguardian.com and support our work there,” the statement read.
Musk, who was recently tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to head a new government agency focused on regulating federal spending, has not yet commented on these latest exits from X.
