Don Lemon.Photo: John Lamparski/WireImage
Varietyreports that CNN staffers were notified Sunday that Lemon would not be on the air Monday, despite that he was expected to return to co-hosting duties after taking a previously-scheduled day off last Friday.
A rep for CNN did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment about Lemon’s absence, which comes after he made headlines for suggesting Haley, a Republican whorecently announced her candidacy for president, was “past her prime.”
Haley, the former governor of South Carolina who served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President Donald Trump from January 2017 to December 2018, is 51.
The remarks came as Lemon was discussing the age of politicians in a segment with co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins.
“This whole talk about age makes me uncomfortable,” Lemon said, alluding to remarks Haley made suggesting that politicians over the age of 75 should bemade to take mental competency tests. “I think it’s the wrong road to go down.
Lemon — who, at 56, is five years older than Haley — continued: “She says … politicians are not in their prime. Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime. Sorry. A woman is considered to be in their prime in 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.”
Nikki Haley speaking at the Republican National Convention.NBC News
The backlash was swift, with critics decrying Lemon’s remarks assexistand ageist, and reports suggesting he hasclashedwith female colleagues in the past.
Those within the network also expressed disappointment in Lemon.The New York Timesreports that CNN’s chairman, Chris Licht, told staff in a recent phone 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.”
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Varietyand theTimesreport that Lemon also apologized to his colleagues Friday, saying, per theTimes: “I am sorry. I did not mean to hurt anyone. I did not mean to offend anyone.”
source: people.com
