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Don Lemon will not appear on CNN This Morning on Monday as his future on the network appears to be hanging in the balance after he made controversial comments about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley being “past her prime.”
The 56-year-old host was scheduled to return to the morning show tomorrow with co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, but is now not in the lineup, according to a copy of the show obtained by Rely.
Lemon was criticized when he made “sexist” comments on Thursday’s show when discussing Haley’s suggestion that politicians 75 and older should face mental competency tests.
CNN President Chris Licht criticized Lemon’s comments as “disturbing, unacceptable and unfair to his co-hosts and ultimately a major distraction from the great work of this organization.”
Lemon wasn’t on Friday’s show, but joined a CNN editorial call from Miami where he apologized to staff for his comments.
Don Lemon, 56, will not appear on CNN This Morning on Monday just days after he made controversial comments about women in their 40s who are past their prime.
The 56-year-old man was seen swimming and frolicking on the beach Friday hours after joining a CNN editorial call from Miami, where he once again apologized to staff for his comments.
The 56-year-old host was scheduled to return to the morning show tomorrow with co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, but was not in the lineup.
Monday’s show will be hosted by Harlow and Sara Sidner in New York with Collins in Poland for President Joe Biden’s visit. But Lemon’s future at CNN seems to hang in the balance.
“There are ongoing discussions about Don’s future,” a person familiar with the matter told Confider. It’s a constant distraction.
Lemon’s comments reportedly didn’t impress many staff members and angered many viewers when he offered his opinion on when he thinks a woman is at her best.
“Nikki Haley is not at her best, I’m sorry,” she had said on the show. “A woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s, 30s and maybe 40s.”
But Lemon was seen in Miami on Friday dispelling criticism by relaxing with partner Tim Mahone at the luxurious $2,000-a-night beach resort Faena.
Lemon was replaced that day by Audie Cornish, as the show avoided acknowledging comments he made the day before despite increasing calls for him to be squeezed.
“His comments were upsetting, unacceptable and unfair to his co-hosts and ultimately a major distraction from the great work of this organization,” Licht told staff Friday morning, according to a reading of the call obtained by Confider.
Lemon said on the call: ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. It was not my intention to offend anyone.
CNN President Chris Licht criticized Lemon’s comments as “disturbing, unacceptable and unfair to his co-hosts and ultimately a major distraction from the great work of this organization.”
But according to radaronline.comLemon’s coworkers have criticized him for having a “colossal ego” and believe he is planning to jump ship.
“He has a colossal ego and is the type of person who goes around saying that he is not going to take the blame for the failure of his show, that it is not his fault and that the network is going under, and he should not have been removed from his prime time.” ‘ an insider told RadarOnline.
“The ratings are down a lot, the new boss is implementing strict new rules and nobody is happy. All of these people have been coddled with perks and pats on the back until now, and suddenly Don, Wolf Blitzer and others are at a point of “wow, we’re in trouble,” the source added.
Tensions on the network have continued to escalate since Licht arrived and insiders believe Lemon, and other top presenters, know they could be kicked out if ratings don’t improve.
“Don still thinks highly of himself and continues to put sensors in other places, although it’s going to be a tough sell,” the source said. ‘No one is going to want Don or any of his miserable co-workers with those bad grades behind them.’
Last week, inside sources told DailyMail.com that Lemon is “rude, self-righteous and downright sexist”, adding that “his apology meant nothing”.
They said: ‘Don has been skating on thin ice for so long and many wanted him fired in December when he freaked out on Kaitlin Collins for no reason. He was crying and it was so inappropriate.
Regardless of her political affiliation, her comments that Nikki Haley was past her prime were sickening. Poppy was furious, as she should be, and she still is.
“He is rude, self-righteous and clearly sexist. Nikki did the right thing by calling him.
“His apology meant nothing and there is a lot of pressure to get it canned. It would be a shock if it wasn’t.
Collins was also quick to sing the praises of Cornish, her co-host for a day, by posting a photo of them together on her Instagram.
Harlow, Lemon and Collins had been discussing Haley’s proposal during a speech Wednesday announcing his candidacy for president.
Lemon, who is five years older than Haley, 51, said the politician should treat the issue lightly because “a woman is at her best in her 20s and 30s and maybe her 40s.”
Lemon, 56, got ‘ballistic’ on employees who highlighted the dispute with Collins, according to RadarOnline, with the host claiming she ‘interrupted’ him during a December broadcast.
Kaitlan Collins (right) opened the show by saying her co-host “has the day off” as Lemon was replaced that day by Audie Cornish (left), and the show didn’t acknowledge comments she made the day before.
Lemon’s coworkers have criticized him for having a “colossal ego” and say he allegedly made Collins run off set in tears after he berated her in front of the crew.
Haley herself responded to Lemon’s comments, saying, “It’s always the liberals who are the most sexist” in a tweet with a clip from the video segment.
Lemon apologized for his comments on the Thursday show, tweeting: “My reference to a woman’s ‘best’ this morning was naive and irrelevant, as colleagues and loved ones have pointed out, and I’m sorry.”
‘A woman’s age does not define her personally or professionally. I have countless women in my life who try it every day.
An irate Harlow reportedly stormed off set following the ‘sexist’ exchange on Thursday, sources told the New York Post.
Harlow took a bathroom break “at the right time” and Kaitlan Collins followed her into the bathroom, with the source adding that the strained relationship has been “smoldering for months.”
Collins had her own run-in with her fellow host, who was seen on camera repeatedly interrupting her during the show on December 8.
Lemon allegedly made Collins run off the set in tears after he berated her in front of the television crew and her other co-host.
Since the incident, Lemon has been deployed to Memphis and on other assignments, while Collins worked remotely from Washington, DC on several occasions in January.
CNN This Morning suffered a ratings bomb and, early last month, experienced its lowest-watched week since its launch, averaging just over 330,000 viewers.