CNN pardons Don Lemon after calling Nikki Haley old

Although the network had removed the broadcaster from the air, it has now decided to pardon him in exchange for "training" to modify his sexist comments.

Published by

Rosana Rábago Sainz

23 de febrero, 2023

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After three days without being able to go to work, anchor Don Lemon returned to CNN's airwaves on Wednesday. The network had decided to remove the CNN This Morning host after he had made comments deemed sexist last week against Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election, Nikki Haley.

It happened during a moment when Lemon was commenting on current events with co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins. When it came time to comment on one of the former South Carolina governor's latest statements, in which she asserted that there should be mental competency tests for politicians running for the White House who are over the age of 75, disaster struck. Lemon claimed that the 51-year-old Republican "isn’t in her prime," hinting that she is also old.

Once he realized his mistake he tried to justify himself by assuring that a woman only "is considered to be in her prime in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s." However, the damage was already done and the Republican expressed her discomfort through a tweet:

The consequences of his words were swift. First it was through Twitter where women like Janice Dean, Karol Marcowicz, Katrina Pierson and Republican Mayra Flores showed their support for Nikki Haley:

Lemon publicly apologizes after being removed from the program

In response, Don Lemon issued a public apology via his Twitter profile and admitted that his comments, described by many as sexist, had been inappropriate and irresponsible:

However, CNN had already made its decision and removed him from the program. Until Wednesday. It was the network itself who announced on Tuesday that, after a meeting with the CEO of CNN, Chris Licht, Don Lemon would resume his work as a presenter. However, they are committed to formal training to prevent this situation from recurring:

I sat down with Don and had a frank and meaningful conversation. He has agreed to participate in formal training, as well as continuing to listen and learn. We take this situation very seriously. It is important to me that CNN balances accountability with … fostering a culture in which people can own, learn and grow from their mistakes. To that end, Don will return to CNN This Morning on Wednesday.

A condition that Don Lemon accepted without hesitation. In fact, he was grateful to be able to return as host of CNN This Morning while, again, apologizing again for his comments to Nikki Haley: