Elon Musk escalated his war of words with former CNN host Don Lemon, comparing him to a spoiled child.
“Don “Veruca Salt” 🍋 ,” Musk posted Friday on X — likening Lemon to the outrageously indulged character in the Roald Dahl classic “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
The jab comes hours after The Post reported Lemon had made extravagant demands on Musk as part of a deal to host a talk show on the platform.
Among the asks were a $5 million upfront payment on top of an $8 million salary, and an equity stake in the social media platform. Lemon also apparently insisted on a free Tesla Cybertruck, a private jet to Las Vegas complete with a suite for him and his fiancé — and that the company pay for their day drinking and massages.
Though his move to X was announced to much fanfare in January, the show collapsed after Lemon and Musk held a contentious interview. While Lemon has promised to release the full interview on March 18, leaked snippets show several testy exchanges.
In one moment, Lemon asked Musk about the alleged rise of hate speech on the platform to which Musk grew visibly annoyed.
“I don’t have to answers questions from reporter, Don. The only reason I’m doing this interview is because you’re on the X platform.”
Lemon did not respond to requests for comment from The Post.
