Elon Musk Compares Don Lemon To Willy Wonka Character In Latest Twit-For-Tat

Bruce Haring

March 16, 2024 at 12:50 p.m.·1 min read

The Elon Musk-Don Lemon war continued today, as both sides tweaked each other’s tail over their aborted programming deal.

Lemon had the first at-bat, sending out a dig on X.

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“Every time @elonmusk tweets, a subscriber gets his wings. Tune in Monday.” Lemon will continue on the X platform, even though his remuneration will come from clicks and sponsorships rather than a salary and perks.

“That was followed by a Musk retort: “Don “Veruca Salt” and a lemon image.”

The “Veruca Salt” insult likens Lemon to the Willy Wonka character of the same name, an over-indulged and manipulative young girl who shows no gratitude.

That slap stems from earlier reports indicating Lemon had a lengthy wish list while negotiating for his one-and-done show on the X platform. They allegedly included a free Tesla Cybertruck, a $5 million upfront payment on top of an $8 million salary, an equity stake in the multibillion-dollar company, and the right to approve any changes in X policy as it relates to news content.

Jay Sures, vice chairman at UTA, told the New York Post: “This is absolute, complete utter nonsense without an iota of truth to it.”

Every time @elonmusk tweets, a subscriber gets his wings. Tune in Monday👼🏾 https://t.co/BZnI3szQed
— Don Lemon (@donlemon) March 16, 2024

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