Don Lemon highlights alarming change to X’s terms of service as he leaves the platform

Don Lemon has announced that he will be leaving X due to his belief that the platform no longer serves the purpose of being a place for “honest debate and discussion, transparency and free speech” – and because of a specific new rule the platform, formerly known as Twitter, is introducing.

The former CNN anchor, who has clashed with the platform’s ownerElon Musk previously, delivered the news in a video posted on X on Wednesday, while highlighting several concerning changes to the terms of service of the company.

“I have loved connecting with all of you on Twitter and then on X for all of these years, but it’s time for me to leave the platform,” Lemon said.

“I once believed that it was a place for honest debate and discussion, transparency and free speech, but I now feel it does not serve that purpose.”

Lemon then highlighted changes to the terms and service, effective from November 15, which state that, among other things, disputes that arise between users and X as a company will be governed by “the laws of the State of Texas.”

All disputes, the terms state, “shall be brought exclusively in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas, or state courts located in Tarrant County, Texas.”

The Washington Post has recently reported that the decision to change the terms of service on X is an attempt to ensure that such lawsuits will be heard in courthouses that are a “hub for conservatives.”

It is believed that the decision was made by Musk to make it easier for X to shield itself from litigation.

“I think that speaks for itself,” Lemon said, adding that in future he would be sharing content on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.

Lemon’s departure comes several months after he and Musk butted heads over a failed talk show that was supposed to air on the social media platform, which resulted in a lawsuit.

Attorneys representing Lemon filed the lawsuit on August 1 in the Superior Court of California and accused Musk of fraud, negligent misrepresentation, misappropriation of Lemon’s name and likeness and a breach of express contract.

Musk – who has been appointed to lead a new waste-cutting department by president-elect Donald Trump – later responded to a post on X about the lawsuit, writing: “He made a series of impressively insane demands. We declined. Therefore, there was no deal.”