Fired

Don Lemon's X partnership is dunzo -- his deal falling apart before the first episode could even air ... and he blames his Elon Musk interview, where he apparently struck a nerve.

The former CNN anchor took to social media Wednesday to announce the end of his exclusive deal with Elon's platform -- both via written statement and in a short video he posted to X, ironically enough.

The way Don explains it ... he sat down with Elon Friday to interview him for the first episode of "The Don Lemon Show," saying he wanted to speak with Musk as his debut guest because Elon considers himself a major proponent of free speech.

Don said the interview had no off-limit topics, and -- even though DL admits the convo got tense at times ... ultimately, he says he felt it was a good, fair back-and-forth.

However, it sounds like Musk didn't feel the same way according to Lemon ... who claims his deal with X -- agreed upon just two months ago -- was terminated mere hours after their interview wrapped.

Lemon told his fans he worked with X because he's a believer in free speech and wanted his message to reach a mass audience ... and, getting "fired" from X ain't stopping the former CNN anchor from airing it on the platform and elsewhere.

Lemon says he's still dropping the interview in all its glory Monday, March 18 on YouTube and X as well -- seemingly a big middle finger to EM and co. He's also gonna carry on with the show without X's backing ... so, the "The Don Lemon Show" is still on.

As for exactly what the two discussed ... we don't know much, but reports are floating around Don asked some hard-hitting questions -- including queries about Musk's use of ketamine.

BTW ... Lemon apparently still thinks X owes him money -- with a spokesperson for Don telling news site Puck he's willing to go to court for the cash he believes is owed ... to be continued, we suppose.

For their part, X is saying their platform is all about free speech, and Don can freely post whatever he wants ... but also X is still a business and can choose to begin or end partnerships with businesses as it sees fit.

As for Elon ... he responded to a Mark Zuckerberg parody account on X -- and claimed Don was still doing his CNN shtick, just on X -- and he said he felt Don was just parroting his old boss at the network, Jeff Zucker. EM also says he felt Don was putting on an act and not being his authentic self ... which was apparently enough for him to scrap their deal.

Giannis Antetokounmpo just shut down rumors that he had a say in Adrian Griffin's firing ... telling reporters Wednesday night the move blindsided him.

The Milwaukee Bucks superstar opened up on his coach's eyebrow-raising departure for the first time following a 126-116 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers ... saying straight up Griffin's exit "caught me by surprise."

"We were 30 and 13," he said as he sat at a postgame podium. "I gotta trust the front office, I gotta trust the ownership group that they can see the bigger picture."

Of course, many had believed there was no way Bucks' brass didn't contact Giannis for his thoughts on removing Griffin before pulling the trigger ... but the Greek Freak made it clear he wasn't consulted.

"My job is to be the best version of myself, to lead this team out there and win games," he said. "Their job is to create the best team possible and the best atmosphere around the team possible."

The 6-foot-11 forward also praised Griffin during his talk with media members ... calling his former head coach a "great person" whom he had a good relationship with.

"I refuse to fall into the bubble of, 'Oh, this is accurate, this is not accurate,' because there's always gonna be something out there about me and the team, you know," he said. "'Oh, he didn't have a good relationship with Griff' ... false."

"I love the guy," he continued. "I invited him to my wedding."

Adrian Griffin's time in Milwaukee is over -- the Bucks just fired their head coach after less than a year on the job ... despite having the second-best record in the league.

Multiple reports confirmed the move on Tuesday ... just hours after Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. beat the Detroit Pistons, 122-113.

It is a bit of a head-scratching move to some ... as the Bucks currently sit at second in the Eastern Conference with a 30-13 record. Others believe the writing was on the wall, as Griffin -- a former Seton Hall star and NBA player -- appeared to be a bad fit with the current roster.

Joe Prunty is expected to take on interim coaching duties for now ... and there are rumblings the team will look for a veteran coach like Doc Rivers to take the reins permanently.

It's a quick turnaround for the organization -- it just introduced Griffin as Mike Budenholzer's replacement in June 2023.

Whoever takes over in Milwaukee will have one of the most talented squads in the league ... with stars like Giannis, Damian Lillard and Kris Middleton.

Snoop Dogg's ad for smokeless fire pits totally won the internet last year ... but the company that hired him says they won nada and their 4th quarter tanked as a result!!!

Solo Stove, the company behind the clever spot that teased the end of Snoop's days of blazin', fired its CEO after it fell short of its $520-$540 million yearly revenue stream ... sounds like they were banking on Snoop to save their asses!!!

The outgoing CEO John Marris tells The Daily that Snoop brought them 60k new followers after his spot dropped and data shows the ad ranked high with just a few weeks to live in the public eye.

2024 projections have been adjusted for Solo Stove -- the incoming CEO only has to clear $490 million and $500 million ... which probably won't be coming from rap fans; they were there to be entertained by the D-O double G, nothing else!!!

Snoop's also onboard to cover the 2024 Summer Olympics for NBC. Ya gotta wonder ... what's gonna happen to the execs when he earns higher ratings than the games?!? 🥴

The Haas Formula One team will have a new leader in charge in 2024 -- longtime team principal Guenther Steiner has shockingly left his position after 10 years, the organization announced Wednesday.

Steiner -- a star on Netflix's 'Drive To Survive' -- held the role since Haas joined the grid in 2016, reaching as high as fifth in the Constuctor Standings in 2018.

It was a rough 2023 campaign, though ... as Haas finished last with just 12 points.

According to F1, Steiner met with team owner Gene Haas following the 2023 season ... and it was decided they would go their separate ways.

Haas' director of engineering, Ayao Komatsu, will take over as team principal.

"I’d like to start by extending my thanks to Guenther Steiner for all his hard work over the past decade and I wish him well for the future," Haas said in a statement.

"Moving forward as an organization, it was clear we need to improve our on-track performances. In appointing Ayao Komatsu as Team Principal we fundamentally have engineering at the heart of our management."

"We have had some successes, but we need to be consistent in delivering results that help us reach our wider goals as an organization," he added. "We need to be efficient with the resources we have but improving our design and engineering capability is key to our success as a team."

Mike Vrabel is out in Tennessee.

The Titans have just canned their head coach, according to multiple reports ... after he spent the last six seasons roaming the sidelines in Nashville.

The final decision came down less than 48 hours after the Titans' 28-20 upset win over the Jaguars on Sunday.

Vrabel started his Tennessee tenure with a bang ... logging winning seasons in his first four years -- though things have gone a bit south in the past two.

In his last 34 games, he's recorded just a 13-21 record ... and their offense has sputtered.

A lot of change is on the horizon in Tennessee -- star running back Derrick Henry is a free agent this summer. He was a big part in Vrabel’s playoff runs in Tennessee, but gave what felt like a farewell speech following their win.

Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk addressed the move on Tuesday ... saying, "Earlier today, I spoke with Mike Vrabel and told him about my decision to make a change at head coach."

"As I told Coach Vrabel, this decision was as difficult as any I've made as Controlling Owner. I appreciate Mike's contributions to the Tennessee Titans both on and off the field."

"Anyone who has ever met him knows how passionate and genuine he is, and he's been a strong supporter of the Nashville community," she added. "We wish Mike, Jen, and the Vrabel family nothing but the best in the future."

Vrabel -- the third-winningest coach in Titans history -- will almost certainly land on his feet somewhere -- the former New England Patriots star is widely respected around the league and is already viewed as a potential candidate for current head coaching vacancies.

In fact, most think if Bill Belichick leaves Foxborough this offseason, Vrabel could be the ideal man to replace him.

Chris Harrison has blasted the events surrounding his exit from 'The Bachelor' as 'toxic' ... which kickstarted following a racism scandal.

He says the backlash he endured after defending ex-'Bachelor' contestant Rachael Kirkconnell for attending a plantation-themed party while in college was tumultuous ... praying his worst enemy doesn't go through the same experience he went through 2 years earlier.

Speaking on Jason Tartick's "Trading Secrets" podcast, Chris says he initially thought the situation was something he could've figured out with show execs ... but things escalated to the point he knew he had to remove himself from the situation.

It was a bittersweet moment for Chris ... he wasn't ready to leave the show he'd been hosting since 2002 ... but he was ultimately proud of his decision to walk away.

He adds there's no hard feelings because the show was a blessing  ... changing his life financially.

One of the biggest "Jeopardy!" champs of all time says the show is in good hands with Ken Jennings ... but he doesn't want Mayim Bialik to vanish completely.

We got Austin Rogers -- who went on a major hot streak in 2017 -- at Gaf East, a bar he just bought in New York City, and we asked him about Mayim announcing her exit as one of the "Jeopardy!" hosts.

Austin says the show will be just fine with Ken taking on an even larger role. Ken's become synonymous with "Jeopardy!" and AR feels he's a big enough name now to soften the blow of Mayim's departure.

Another "Jeopardy!" champ, Amy Schneider agrees ... telling us Ken is the right choice for the everyday hosting gig, in part because he's a big hit with the contestants.

While Mayim says Sony brass told her she won't be hosting the syndicated daily show, the studio is leaving the door open for her to host special episodes ... like "Celebrity Jeopardy" and other primetime tournaments -- and Austin explains why she's a good fit there.

TMZ broke the story ... Mayim's absence during the writers' strike made Sony execs realize they didn't need 2 hosts, and ultimately her loss was Ken's gain.

Austin says Mayim was still right to stand in solidarity with the writers, and he hopes she remains involved ... even if it's not on a daily basis.

Mayim Bialik stepping away from "Jeopardy!" in solidarity with striking writers showed Sony executives they didn't need 2 hosts for the quiz show, and that's why they moved on ... TMZ has learned.

Sony Studios sources tell TMZ ... bosses at Sony weren't mad when Mayim refused to work during this year's strike, but her absence opened execs' eyes about their dual host system -- Mayim and Ken Jennings shared the gig.

Our sources say Mayim stepping away gave Ken an opportunity ... and he took it and ran with it, improving his hosting skills while she was away.

We're also told Sony worked incredibly hard juggling schedules to accommodate Mayim during her time on the show, and she didn't always agree with production decisions ... including the hiring of executive producer Michael Davies, and other staff changes.

Mayim stepped away in May at the height of the writers' strike, and our sources say she eventually fell so far out of touch, Sony execs simply decided to press on without her.

As we reported ... Mayim announced Friday she was no longer hosting "Jeopardy!"

Our sources say Sony is still open to having Mayim host "Jeopardy!" primetime specials, because they feel she's talented and works well with the celebrity contestants ... but we're told Mayim made it clear it was all or nothing. As a result, we're told Sony brass declined and Mayim released her statement Friday without consulting Sony.

Regardless, our sources say the ball is still in Mayim's court ... we're told Sony execs want her for primetime specials, if she accepts the offer.

Mayim Bialik alejándose de "Jeopardy!" en solidaridad con los escritores en huelga, le mostró a los ejecutivos de Sony que no necesitan dos anfitriones para el concurso y decidieron seguir adelante.

Fuentes de Sony Studios le dicen a TMZ que los jefes de Sony no estaban enojados cuando Mayim se negó a trabajar durante la huelga de este año, pero su ausencia ayudó a que los ejecutivos se dieran cuenta de que el programa funcionó muy bien con Ken Jennings como el único anfitrión.

Nuestras fuentes dicen que el hecho de que Mayim se alejara le dio a Ken una oportunidad y él la tomó.

También nos dicen que Sony trabajó increíblemente duro, haciendo malabares con los horarios para darle cabida a Mayim durante años, tomando difíciles decisiones de producción, incluyendo la contratación del productor ejecutivo Michael Davies, además de otros cambios de personal.

Mayim se alejó en mayo en el apogeo de la huelga de guionistas y nuestras fuentes dicen que estuvo tan alejada de los ejecutivos de Sony que simplemente decidieron seguir adelante sin ella.

Como informamos, Mayim anunció el viernes que ya no era la anfitriona de "Jeopardy!"

Nuestras fuentes dicen que Sony todavía está abierto a tener a Mayim en los especiales de horario estelar, ya que sienten que tiene talento y trabaja bien con los concursantes de celebridades, pero nos dicen Mayim dejó claro que era todo o nada. Como resultado, nos dicen que Sony brass declinó y Mayim lanzó su declaración el viernes sin consultar a Sony.

A pesar de todo, nuestras fuentes dicen que la pelota está todavía en el campo de Mayim, y nos dicen que los ejecutivos de Sony la quieren para los especiales de horario estelar, si ella acepta la oferta.

Jonathan Majors is out of a job at Disney, 'cause Marvel is dropping him from all projects in the MCU, and cutting ties in the wake of his guilty verdict ... TMZ has confirmed.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us the comic book movie studio -- one of the Mouse House's largest imprints -- will not be moving forward with the embattled actor, period. What that means ... he's losing out on his key role as Marvel's big villain, Kang the Conqueror.

That's a huge blow, seeing how he's already portrayed the character in one big Marvel movie -- 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' -- as well as 2 seasons of the Disney+ show 'Loki.' The 2nd 'Loki' season heavily featured Kang and his variants -- other versions of the big bad, also played by JM -- as did the aforementioned film.

By all accounts, Jonathan was going to play Kang for at least two more Marvel films ... and the studio was said to be treating him/Kang as the next Thanos, of sorts, in their franchise.

Now, though, that's all out the window ... and the two new 'Avengers' flicks that are currently in development and pre-production -- both of which he was attached to as Kang -- will go in a totally new direction without him. There'd been rumblings Marvel was already exploring their options even before the trial ... and it sounds like they're ready to pivot.

No word on whether Kang will be recast, or if they'll just tap a new bad guy -- but either way ... Majors was just fired by his biggest employer, and is losing out on millions of dollars.

Of course, the decision was swift ... coming down no more than a couple hours after he was found guilty on two of four counts in his criminal trial -- where he was facing assault and harassment charges after being accused of roughing up his ex-girlfriend in March.

He was convicted of reckless assault and harassment, and acquitted of intentional assault and aggravated harassment. In layman's terms -- the jury appears to have dinged him for what may have happened outside the car, and not necessarily what went on inside.

Jonathan Majors perdió su trabajo en Disney, porque Marvel lo está desvinculando de todos los proyectos del MCU, cortando los lazos a raíz de su veredicto de culpabilidad, TMZ ha confirmado.

Fuentes directas nos dicen que el estudio de películas de cómics —uno de los mayores sellos de la Casa del Ratón— no va a seguir adelante con el actor asediado y punto. Lo que significa que está perdiendo su papel clave como el gran villano de Marvel, Kang el Conquistador.

Eso es un gran golpe, viendo cómo ya ha retratado al personaje en una gran película de Marvel  —"Ant-Man y la Avispa: Quantumania"— así como en dos temporadas de la serie de Disney+ "Loki". La segunda temporada de "Loki" incluía a Kang y sus variantes —otras versiones del gran villano, también interpretadas por Majors—, al igual que la película antes mencionada.

Según todos los indicios, Jonathan iba a interpretar a Kang durante al menos dos películas más de Marvel y se decía que el estudio lo estaba tratando a él y a Kang como la próxima especie de Thanos en su franquicia.

Ahora, sin embargo, todo se fue por la ventana y las dos nuevas películas de "Vengadores" que están actualmente en desarrollo y pre-producción —ambos de los cuales se adjuntaba como Kang— irán en una dirección totalmente nueva sin él. Había rumores de que Marvel ya estaba explorando sus opciones incluso antes del juicio y parece que están listos para pivotar.

No se sabe si Kang será reelegido o si simplemente cambiarán de villano, pero en cualquier caso, Majors acaba de ser despedido por su mayor empleador y está perdiendo millones de dólares.

Por supuesto, la decisión fue rápida, solo un par de horas después de haber sido declarado culpable de dos de los cuatro cargos en su juicio penal, donde enfrentaba cargos de agresión y acoso después de haber sido acusado de maltratar a su ex-novia en marzo.

Fue condenado por agresión imprudente y acoso y absuelto de agresión intencionada y acoso con agravantes. En términos sencillos, el jurado parece que le dingged por lo que puede haber sucedido fuera del coche y no necesariamente lo que pasó dentro.

If Shawne Merriman was in Dean Spanos' shoes, he would NOT hire Bill Belichick or Jim Harbaugh to replace Brandon Staley ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks his former team needs to go younger with its next hire.

Of course, both coaching veterans have been rumored to be on the Bolts' radar following Staley's firing on Friday ... but Merriman made it clear, he would prefer it if L.A. looked elsewhere.

"The game has gotten much younger," the ex-Chargers pass rusher said. "If you look around, a lot of these head coaches are younger. They relate well to the players."

Belichick is 71 years old, while Harbaugh is 59 ... ages that Merriman obviously thinks just won't cut it when it comes to directing guys like 25-year-old Justin Herbert or 27-year-old Derwin James on the field.

But, don't get it twisted, he still loves both guys and their résumés -- he just said, "I don't know if that's the proper move in this situation."

"I really don't."

Merriman didn't have any names that he would rather hire -- though he did say he wants no part of being considered for the role ... as he's a bit preoccupied with his MMA promotion, Lights Out, which has a big event coming up on January 6.

Susan Sarandon's antisemitic rant has now cost her a role in a project -- just the latest hit to her career after she bashed Jews.

The actress has been dropped from a short film she was set to star in called "Slipping Away" -- this according to the co-founder of the production company that was putting it together.

David Barroso of PTO Films tells Page Six ... "As a company, PTO Films would like to make it clear that Susan Sarandon’s views do not reflect the opinions of our organization. We were considering her for a short film, but due to her recent statements, we have decided to pursue other options."

"Slipping Away" had been listed as an upcoming title on Sarandon's IMDb page, but it's gone now. There are 4 other future productions she's attached to -- three of them are in post-production and one is still in pre-production. Unclear if her roles in those are affected yet.

Remember ... Sarandon caught heat for speaking up at a pro-Palestine rally in NYC recently, but what she said specifically ended up costing her. The antisemitic comment in question was ... "There are a lot of people afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country."

El discurso antisemita de Susan Sarandon le ha costado un papel en un proyecto y es solo el último golpe a su carrera después de que atacara a los judíos.

La actriz ha sido retirada de un cortometraje que iba a protagonizar llamado "Slipping Away", según el cofundador de la productora que lo estaba organizando.

David Barroso de PTO Films le dijo a Page Six: "Como empresa, a PTO Films le gustaría dejar claro que las opiniones de Susan Sarandon no reflejan las opiniones de nuestra organización. Estábamos considerándola para un cortometraje, pero debido a sus recientes declaraciones, hemos decidido buscar otras opciones".

"Slipping Away" figuraba como próximo título en la página IMDb de Sarandon, pero ya no está. Hay otras cuatro próximas producciones con las que está vinculada, tres de ellas en fase de postproducción y una aún en fase de preproducción. No está claro si sus papeles en esos proyectos se verán afectados todavía.

Recuerden, Sarandon recibió críticas en las redes tras hablar en una manifestación pro-Palestina en Nueva York recientemente. Lo que dijo específicamente terminó costándole caro. El comentario antisemita en cuestión fue: "Hay mucha gente que tiene miedo de ser judía en este momento y están saboreando lo que se siente ser musulmán en este país".

George Santos is saying a big "f*** you" to everyone at HBO ... vowing to go after the channel/streaming platform for developing a new movie about his controversial political career.

The recently-booted congressman sounded off to TMZ after HBO optioned the rights to Mark Chiusano's new book "The Fabulist: The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos" ... blasting it as defamatory and misappropriating his name and likeness.

Santos says he has zero involvement in the "fictitious story" the movie plans to sell to the American people ... and is vexed about the filmmakers and book's author not speaking to him or getting authorization to write about him.

However, he says he's not concerned about how he'll be represented in the doc ... because he's working on a project that best fits his narrative. As for HBO, Santos vented, "F*** them and their chicken s*** deal with no inside information or reality of facts."

We're not sure how he'll navigate any potential comeback trail following his expulsion from Congress last week ... but ya gotta applaud the hustle.

The decision came following a controversial time in office, which included multiple felony charges.

For now, he's been busy advising his fans to "let the haters hate" on Cameo for $200 a vid.

BTW, we talked to the guy whose book this HBO film is based on ... and he tells us he tried his best to get GS to get involved in the story, to no avail though.