Elon Musk proposes to launch political show on Twitter

Elon Musk reached out to former CNN host Don Lemon to suggest he starts a new show on Twitter, days after Fox News star host Tucker Carlson announced his own plans to do so.

Lemon and Carlson, longtime TV news hosts, were both abruptly fired on April 24. News of Lemon's departure came shortly after a report from Variety alleged that he had a history of misogynistic behaviour at the network – he later denied these allegations. CNN said the two parties had "parted ways."

This week, Musk replied to Lemon's tweet from April 24 – the day both he and Carlson were ousted, saying: "Have you considered doing your show on this platform? Maybe worth a try. Audience is much bigger," Insider writes.

The invite came shortly after Musk posted an explanation of Carlson's refuge on the platform, apparently trying to settle concerns about the right-wing firebrand.

"On this platform, unlike the one-way street of broadcast, people are able to interact, critique and refute whatever is said," the Twitter CEO said. "I hope that many others, particularly from the left, also choose to be content creators on this platform."

Carlson's three-minute video announcing his plans to post his political coverage on Twitter has already racked up 24.7 million views since May 9. 

By comparison, he averaged 3.2 million views on Fox in the first quarter of this year, per the Los Angeles Times. But Twitter also calculates this differently, because only half the video has to be on the screen for two seconds to count as a view.

"There aren't many platforms left that allow free speech," Carlson said in his May 9 announcement. "The last big one remaining in the world – the only one – is Twitter."