Don Lemon’s return to CNN’s morning show this week was not enough to save the network’s plunging ratings.
Lemon was back on the air as co-host of CNN This Morning on Wednesday following time away amid backlash over comments about 2024 presidential candidate Nikki Haley being past her prime.
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In his return, CNN This Morning was trounced by rivals Fox News and MSNBC as their respective morning shows tripled CNN’s ratings.
While CNN This Morning garnered 289,000 total viewers in its 6 a.m. hour, Fox & Friends drew just over 1 million total viewers, and Morning Joe notched 908,000 total viewers, according to cable news ratings.
During their second and third hours, CNN This Morning continued to attract only a third of Fox & Friends’s audience.
Among the key 25-54 age demographic, Fox News bested both MSNBC and CNN, with Fox & Friends drawing 142,000 viewers during its 6 a.m. hour compared to Morning Joe’s 119,000 viewers and CNN This Morning’s 73,000 viewers.
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Ahead of his return, Lemon posted an apology to Twitter for his comments about Haley. He, however, did not make an on-air apology.
In a memo to the network’s staff on Monday night, CNN CEO Chris Licht announced Lemon’s return and said the morning show host had agreed to participate in “formal training.”