(Photo by Neon Tommy, from Wikimedia Commons)
NEW YORK (AP) | Amid ongoing criticism over his comments about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, Don Lemon was absent for the first part of this week from “CNN This Morning.” On Monday, co-host Poppy Harlow told viewers that “Don has the day off.”
Lemon has not been on the air since Feb. 16, when during a discussion on “CNN This Morning” about the ages of politicians he said that the 51-year-old Haley was not “in her prime.” A woman, he said, was considered in her prime “in her 20s, 30s and maybe her 40s.”
Challenged by Harlow, Lemon added: “Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying what the facts are.”
Lemon has since apologized, but he has been widely condemned, including by CNN CEO Chris Licht. According to The New York Times, Licht chastised Lemon during an editorial call Feb. 17, saying his remarks were “upsetting, unacceptable and unfair” and a “huge distraction.”
According to CNN Business, Lemon will return to the show Wednesday morning and “will undergo formal training.”
