After his contentious remarks regarding GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley being “beyond her prime,” Don Lemon will not be on CNN This Morning on Monday because he is taking the Presidents Day break.
According to CNN spokesman Matt Dornic, the 56-year-old anchor had been scheduled to return to the program tomorrow alongside co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, but instead chose to take the break.
On Thursday’s broadcast, Lemon was debating Haley’s notion that legislators 75 and older should undergo mental competence testing when he made’sexist’ statements that drew criticism.
Chris Licht, the chairman of CNN, criticized Lemon’s comments, calling them “upsetting, disrespectful and unjust to his co-hosts, and ultimately a major distraction from the wonderful work of this company.”
Lemon, whose absence from tomorrow’s program was first noted by The Daily Beast, did not appear on the program on Friday either. But, he did attend a CNN editorial call from Florida to apologize to the employees for his remarks.
I believed he was coming back tomorrow, but he is taking the vacation, Dornic stated in an email on Sunday.
Although Collins is in Poland for President Joseph Biden’s visit, Harlow and Sara Sidner in New York will host Monday’s program. Yet Lemon’s employment at CNN seems to be in jeopardy.
A individual with knowledge of the situation informed Confider that “there are continuing negotiations concerning Don’s future.” He is a never-ending diversion,
When Lemon expressed his opinion on when he thinks a woman is in her prime, several members of staff are said to have been disappointed and many viewers have been incensed by his remarks.
He had mentioned on the program that Nikki Haley wasn’t in her prime. “A woman is seen as being in her prime in her 20s, 30s, and maybe 40s.”
Yet, Lemon was photographed in Miami on Friday unwinding with his companion Tim Mahone at the upscale beachfront resort Faena, which costs $2,000 per night.
Audie Cornish took over for Lemon for the day as the program chose not to address the remarks he made the day before amid growing demands for his ejection.
Licht reportedly spoke to staff members on Friday morning and said, “His words were hurtful, disrespectful, and unjust to his co-hosts, and ultimately a major distraction to the wonderful work of our organization.”
Lemon apologized throughout the conversation. I never intended to injure anybody. I apologize if I offended anybody.
RadarOnline.com claims that Lemon’s coworkers have criticized him for having a “colossal ego” and that he is about to leave the company.
According to a source close to the situation, ‘He has a massive ego and he’s the sort of guy who goes around claiming he’s not going to take the blame for his program failing, it’s not his fault and the network’s sinking, and they shouldn’t have moved him out of his primetime slot.
No one is pleased since the ratings are drastically down and the new boss is enforcing strict new regulations. The source said, “Up until this moment, everyone was given rewards and compliments, and all of a sudden Don, Wolf Blitzer, and others are thinking, “Yikes, we’re in danger.”
With Licht’s arrival, tensions at the network have increased, and according to sources, Lemon and other top anchors are aware that if ratings don’t climb, they risk being fired.
The source added, “Don still has a high opinion of himself and he’s still looking around, but it’s going to be a difficult sale.” Nobody will want Don or any of his unhappy coworkers with those low ratings behind them, they say.
According to sources who spoke to DailyMail.com last week, Lemon is “rude, self-righteous, and blatantly sexist,” and that “his apology meant nothing.”
“Don has been skating on thin ice for so long, and many wanted him gone in December when he flipped out on Kaitlin Collins for no apparent reason,” they said. That was incredibly inappropriate given that she was in tears.
Regardless of his political views, he made nasty remarks about Nikki Haley being beyond her prime. As she should be, Poppy was incensed and still is.
He is obnoxious, arrogant, and obviously sexist. Calling him out was the proper move on Nikki’s part.
There is a lot of pressure to fire him, and his apologies was meaningless. If not, that would be shocking.
Collins posted a photo of herself and Cornish on Instagram, praising Cornish for being a great co-host for the day.
As Haley launched her candidacy for president in a speech on Wednesday, Collins, Lemon, and Harlow were talking about her idea.
Haley, 51, is five years older than Lemon, who advised the politician to avoid bringing up the subject too soon since “a woman is at her peak in her 20s, 30s, and maybe 40s.”
It’s usually the liberals who are the most sexist, Haley herself tweeted in response to Lemon’s remarks. The message included a clip from the video segment.
‘The reference I made to a woman’s ‘prime’ this morning was inartful and irrelevant, as colleagues and loved ones have pointed out, and I regret it,’ Lemon wrote in an apology for his remarks on Thursday’s broadcast.
“A woman’s age neither personally nor professionally defines her.” Every day, the ladies in my life demonstrate this to me in spades.
During the’sexist’ argument on Thursday, insiders told the New York Post that an angry Harlow walked off the set.
Kaitlan Collins followed Harlow into the bathroom during a “perfectly timed” restroom break, the insider says, adding that the hostile relationship had been “smoldering for months.”
Collins had her own conflict with the other presenter, who was caught on video interrupting her frequently during the broadcast on December 8.
Collins reportedly fled the stage in tears after Lemon yelled at her in front of the camera crew and their other co-host.
Lemon has been assigned to Memphis and other tasks after the event, while Collins worked remotely from Washington, DC, on a number of times in January.
With an average of just over 330,000 viewers early last month, CNN This Morning had its least watched week since its debut.
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