Don Lemon on planned break after saying Haley was ‘past her prime’
Max Thornberry
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Don Lemon didn’t appear on CNN This Morning on Friday, a day after he apologized for saying presidential candidate Nikki Haley was “past her prime.”
Kaitlan Collins, Lemon’s co-host, opened the show by announcing he “has the day off.” The host was replaced by Audie Cornish, who the hosts teased on Thursday would be on the show as a “special treat.”
“Audie is going to be joining us tomorrow. Don’s going to be off. Poppy is going to be on assignment anchoring from Salt Lake City,” Collins said.
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The hosts announced Lemon would be off after he made his comments about Haley earlier in the morning. CNN has not responded to requests for comment about whether Lemon will receive a punishment for his comments.
Lemon was discussing a speech Haley made on Wednesday, announcing her bid for the White House. Haley, who was previously the governor of South Carolina and an ambassador to the United Nations, is former President Donald Trump‘s first significant challenger.
Haley’s platform for running against her former boss has been that Republicans need to embrace a “new generation” of leaders, and she took swings at politicians who are past their “prime.”
However, the “talk about age” made Lemon “uncomfortable” on Thursday.
“Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry. When a woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s,” Lemon said.
The host apologized later, saying his comments were “inartful and irrelevant.”
“A woman’s age doesn’t define her either personally or professionally. I have countless women in my life who prove that every day,” Lemon tweeted.
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Thursday’s comments weren’t the first time Lemon has found himself in hot water for comments he has made on air.
In December, the host was given a day to “cool off” by CNN CEO Chris Licht after he repeatedly interrupted Collins on-air before berating her in front of the show’s crew, allegedly forcing her to storm off the set.