Elon Musk wants Rachel Maddow, Don Lemon for Twitter shows
Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, has called on liberal TV hosts such as Rachel Maddow and Don Lemon to join the platform and balance out conservative voices heard through the tweets of Tucker Carlson. Musk took to Twitter on Thursday to write: “It’d be great to have @maddow, @donlemon & others on the left put their shows on this platform. You will receive our full support. The digital town square is for all.” He later added that he wanted to give a voice to all, saying, “Twitter is a place where all voices are heard and where there’s the kind of dynamic interaction that you don’t really see anywhere else.” The move is part of a personal mission of Musk’s to recruit voices on both sides of the political aisle.
Musk has previously made pleas to Lemon to join the platform, saying on May 10th that he ought to consider hosting his show on Twitter. Lemon was fired from CNN in 2020, following several controversies, including his reference to Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley as not being “in her prime”. Twitter currently boasts 450 million active monthly users, compared with Lemon’s former programme, CNN This Morning, which averaged just 360,000 viewers.
Maddow’s namesake show, The Rachel Maddow Show, is MSNBC’s number one ranked programme and has consistently attracted over 200,000 viewers between the ages of 25 and 54. The Post has reached out to representatives for both Maddow and Lemon for comment.
FAQs:
Who is Elon Musk?
Elon Musk is the CEO of Twitter, Tesla and SpaceX, and is known for his outspoken views on a range of subjects, from technology and climate change to the future of humanity.
Why does Elon Musk want liberal TV hosts to join Twitter?
Musk wants to balance out the conservative views that are often heard on the platform by inviting liberal voices onto it.
Who has he asked to join Twitter?
Musk has asked Don Lemon and Rachel Maddow, both formerly of CNN and now of MSNBC, to host their own shows on the platform.
Why has Musk made this plea?
Musk has made a personal mission of recruiting voices on both sides of the political aisle and wants Twitter to be a platform where all perspectives can be heard.
Why has Twitter’s ad revenue fallen since Musk took over?
Advertisers have expressed concern that the platform could become chaotic under Musk’s leadership, leading to a drop in ad revenue. Additionally, Twitter has fallen short of its sales projections by up to 30%, leading to financial difficulties.
Elon Musk’s Suggestion: Have Rachel Maddow and Don Lemon Host Twitter Shows
Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, has expressed his desire to bring more liberal voices, like fired CNN anchor Don Lemon and MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, to his platform. Musk made the announcement on Thursday via Twitter, stating, “It’d be great to have @maddow, @donlemon & others on the left put their shows on this platform…You will receive our full support. The digital town square is for all.” This is not the first time Musk has made a plea to Lemon, as he previously asked the former CNN personality to bring his show to Twitter. Musk’s goal is to balance out the conservative voices often found on Twitter, like those of Tucker Carlson.
Lemon co-anchored “CNN This Morning” before he was fired over a series of controversies, including calling GOP candidate Nikki Haley not “in her prime.” The show averaged dismal ratings, with just 360,000 viewers before his departure. In contrast, Maddow’s weekly show, “The Rachel Maddow Show,” consistently clocks upwards of 200,000 viewers in the coveted 25-to-54-year-old demographic, according to USTVDB figures. For the past nine consecutive Mondays, Maddow’s audience soared above 2 million.
Musk has been recruiting voices on both sides of the political aisle in an effort to create a more dynamic interaction on Twitter. He has recently hosted Twitter Spaces events with Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis and Democratic candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
However, Musk’s strategy hasn’t been effective for Twitter’s finances. Ad revenue has plummeted 59% since Musk took over last October, with advertisers citing worries that the app could become chaotic under the outspoken mogul. In an effort to save money, Musk fired half of the company’s workforce late last year, claiming the move would save Twitter $700 million in 2023. Despite these efforts, Twitter has fallen short of its sales projections and the figures aren’t predicted to improve soon.