CNN's Don Lemon suggested conservative presidential candidate Nikki Haley is past "her prime," but it might be Lemon who is running out of time on his steadily sinking career.
CNN Chairman Chris Licht admonished the struggling Lemon in a Friday editorial call, saying he was "disappointed," The New York Times reported.
"His remarks were upsetting, unacceptable, and unfair to his co-hosts, and ultimately a huge distraction to the great work of this organization," Licht told his staff in a recording of the call, according to the Times.
After ostensibly being demoted from prime time to morning and having been dismissive and disrespectful to female co-host Kaitlan Collins, Lemon most recently suggested Haley, 51, is past "her prime." Lemon's "misogyny" has drawn rebuke throughout the media.
Lemon, attempting to find a way to disparage a Republican presidential candidate for the liberal network, said Haley "isn't in her prime, sorry."
"A woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s," Lemon said, telling his "CNN This Morning" co-anchors Poppy Harlow and Collins to "look it up."
Lemon was forced to apologize Friday morning.
"I am sorry," Lemon said. "I did not mean to hurt anyone. I did not mean to offend anyone."
Lemon then claimed he has many female friends, in apparent defense of his remark that many called misogynistic.
"The people I'm closest to in this organization are women," Lemon added.
Lemon reportedly had a planned day off and called into the CNN show from Miami, and there has been no formal suspension, according to the report.
"CNN This Morning" was reportedly going to be Licht's signature program when he took over for anti-Trump CNN Chairman Jeff Zucker, according to the Times. Licht's career took off as a producer for a past morning show.
Even Lemon's co-hosts rejected Lemon's ageist remark.
"What are you talking ... wait ..." Harlow said. "Are you talking about 'prime' for childbearing?
"Or are you talking about 'prime' for being president?"
"Don't shoot the messenger," Lemon shot back, interrupting her. "I'm just saying what the facts are. Google it."
Harlow waked off the set "stone-faced" during a commercial break and sat out the next segment, sources told the Times.
Haley rebuked Lemon for political bias in addition to his other issues stemming from his remark, saying "liberals are the most sexist."
"I have always made the liberals' heads explode," Haley said this week. "They can't stand the fact that a minority, conservative, female would not be on the Democratic side."
Haley is using it as a campaign rally call.
"America is not past its prime — our politicians are past theirs," she said. "We need term limits, and we need them now."
And she blasted Lemon, too, on Twitter.
"To be clear, I am NOT calling for competency tests for sexist middle-aged CNN anchors; only for people who make our laws and are 75+," Haley tweeted in response to Lemon's desperate attempt to justify his original remark and apologize on Twitter.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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