Don Lemon was removed from CNN’s schedule following outcries against comments that Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley was past her prime.
The CNN This Morning host did not appear on-air Monday morning. Instead, the show was anchored by Poppy Harlow and Sara Sidner in New York, with Kaitlan Collins in Poland ahead of President Joe Biden’s visit that included a surprise trip to Ukraine.
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Harlow opened the show Monday morning only to say that Lemon “has the day off.”
A CNN source confirmed that Lemon is taking the Presidents Day holiday and may return to the show Tuesday, depending on “where his head is at.”
“There are ongoing conversations about Don’s future,” a source told the Daily Beast Confider. “He is a constant distraction.”
After announcing her candidacy, Haley called for politicians older than 75 years of age to participate in “mandatory mental competency tests.” Lemon reacted to her statement during his CNN This Morning show last week, saying it made him “uncomfortable.”
"This whole talk about age makes me uncomfortable," Lemon said. “I think it’s the wrong road to go down. She says people, you know, politicians are suddenly not in their prime. Nikki Haley isn't in her prime, sorry. When a woman is considered to be in her prime [is] in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s."
Harlow asked Lemon to clarify if he meant a woman's "prime for childbearing.” Lemon told Harlow to "Google it."
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. A woman’s age doesn't define her either personally or professionally. I have countless women in my life who prove that every day.
— Don Lemon (@donlemon) February 16, 2023
Lemon later apologized, saying his comments were “inartful and irrelevant.”
The host has not appeared on-air since Thursday.
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On Friday, CNN CEO Chris Licht reportedly condemned Lemon’s remarks, saying during an editorial call that “[Lemon’s] remarks were upsetting, unacceptable, and unfair to his co-hosts, and ultimately a huge distraction to the great work of this organization.”
In December, Lemon was given another break by Licht after he repeatedly interrupted Collins on-air before berating her in front of the show’s crew, allegedly forcing her to storm off the set.