Don Lemon was not present on CNN This Morning on Monday, following ongoing backlash over his remarks about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley. Lemon has been absent from the show since Thursday, after he commented that Haley, who is 51-years-old, was not “in her prime” during a discussion on the ages of politicians. Lemon stated that a woman is considered to be in her prime “in her 20s, 30s, and possibly her 40s.”
Challenged by Poppy Harlow, Lemon’s co-host on the show, he had added: “Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying what the facts are.” Harlow informed viewers on Monday that Lemon was taking the day off.
Lemon, 56, has since apologized, but he has been widely condemned, including by CNN CEO Chris Licht.
Replying to Lemon’s remarks, Haley wrote on Twitter, “I’ve always made liberals’ heads explode. They can’t stand the idea of a conservative minority woman running for president,” she wrote. She also added that it’s “always the liberals who are the most sexist.”
Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador, announced her candidacy for president last Tuesday, becoming the first major challenger to former president Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination. If elected, Haley would be the nation’s first female president and the first US president of Indian descent.
