Don Lemon was pulled from the Monday lineup of CNN”s This Morning despite offering his apologies to Nikki Haley for his comments. Lemon claimed the former South Carolina Governor was “past her prime” as he hit back at her calls for presidential candidates over 75 to undergo an annual competency test. The CNN anchor cited Google saying the Republican nomination candidate would struggle to win as women are only in their prime in “their 20s, 30s, and 40s.”
A CNN insider claimed Lemon would not be returning to anchor until at least Tuesday and was “taking the holiday” on Monday.
They suggested his return will depend on “where his head is at” after the brief break from screens.
Lemon’s temporary benching was first reported on Sunday, when he was removed from the lineup of February 20’s lineup for CNN’s This Morning.
A person familiar with the situation told The Daily Beast: “There are ongoing conversations about Don’s future.”
They added that Lemon had become “a constant distraction” for the network after a series of controversial comments made on air.
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Last year, the CNN anchorman sparked a backlash after saying the US national soccer team deserves more money than its female counterpart.
He said: “I know everyone’s gonna hate me, but the men’s team makes more money. If they make more money then they should get more money.
“The men’s team makes more money because people are more interested in the men!”
As co-presenters Kaitlin Collins and Poppy Harlow hit back at him, Lemon said: “I’m not sexist. I grew up the only boy in a family of all women.
“I understand what you’re saying, but not everybody honestly has the same skill, not everybody has the same interest in the sport.”
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“A woman’s age doesn’t define her either personally or professionally. I have countless women in my life who prove that every day.”
One insider said that the apology failed to placate Lemon’s colleagues, branding it the “most pathetic attempt at an apology I have ever heard in my life.”
Another insider told Fox News Digital: “Everyone’s annoyed. … People are definitely upset about it.
“I was trying to figure out what the hell he was even talking about. None of it made sense, it was a stupid thing to say.”
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