'Tone-Deaf' Don Lemon Infuriates CNN Staffers By Jumping On Call To Defend His Relationship With Women After Age-Shaming Nikki Haley, Calls For His Firing Grow
Don Lemon ticked off CNN staffers again, and he wasn't even at work this time. The 56-year-old star of the network dug himself into a deeper hole when he hopped on a call with employees during his day off to defend his relationship with women after saying presidential hopeful Nikki Haley "isn't in her prime" at the age of 51 as calls for his firing grow, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The call went down on Friday — hours after Lemon shocked his CNN This Morning co-anchors Poppy Harlow, 40, and Kaitlan Collins, 30, by age-shamming Haley live on air.
During the brief call, Lemon backtracked on his comments, vowed to fight discrimination against females, and claimed some of his best friends are women.
According to TMZ, the embattled anchor spoke for 90 seconds and cited his friendships with Dana Bash, 51, Erin Burnett, 46, Amy Entelis, his mother, and his sister to show that he stands united with women.
Sources revealed that staffers were left with a bad taste in their mouths after the call, with many believing he's "been skating on thin ice for so long."
Some labeled Don as "tone-deaf," while another felt he was giving himself kudos for admitting he screwed up. Lemon took Friday off — which seemed convenient given his comments on Thursday — however, insiders claim that his absence was pre-planned and approved well in advance of his word vomit about Haley's age.
As RadarOnline.com reported, Lemon enraged his co-anchor Poppy after saying the Republican ex-governor "isn't in her prime" while debating what Haley proposed that all politicians over 75 undergo a mandatory mental competency test — something that would target people like Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
“This whole talk about age makes me uncomfortable,” Lemon said during the live broadcast. “I think it’s the wrong road to go down. She says people, you know, politicians are suddenly not in their prime. Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime. Sorry, when a woman is in her prime is in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.”
When Poppy spoke up to challenge Don, he continued on his rant.
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"Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying what the facts are,” Lemon attempted to explain. “Google it. Everybody at home, when is a woman in her prime? It says 20s, 30s and 40s.”
Adding, “I’m just saying Nikki Haley should be careful about saying that politicians are not in their prime, and they need to be in their prime when they serve. She would not be in her prime according to Google or whatever it is.”
Hours later, he apologized on Twitter, but the damage was already done.
RadarOnline.com learned that Poppy stormed off the set following Lemon's comments, taking a much-needed and well-timed bathroom break. She was followed by her co-anchor Collins, who already had her own run-in with Don.
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Sources claimed Collins wants to work with Don as little as possible after he "screamed" at her and accused her of "interrupting" him following their December 8 broadcast. The spat was made public earlier this month.
Collins was "visibly upset" after being scolded by the veteran anchor and ran out of the newsroom, leaving co-workers "shaken."
As this outlet exclusively reported, Lemon had a second outburst, with sources spilling he went "ballistic" on staff after his fight with Collins was highlighted in the company newsletter.
Sources insisted that many staffers "wanted him fired" after he lost it on Collins — and his recent comments about Haley only added to their desires to lose the male CNN This Morning star.
"Regardless of his political affiliation, his comments that Nikki Haley being past her prime were disgusting. Poppy was fuming, as she should be, and still is," the insider told Daily Mail. "He is rude, self-righteous and clearly sexist. Nikki did the right thing by calling him out.
"His apology meant nothing and there is so much pressure for him to be canned. It would be a shock if he wasn't."
RadarOnline.com has reached out to CNN for comment.
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