Don Lemon MISSING From 'CNN This Morning' One Day After Riling Co-Hosts Over 'Past Her Prime' Nikki Haley Remarks
Don Lemon was missing from CNN This Morning one day after causing controversy over remarks he made about newly announced GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley, RadarOnline.com can confirm.
In a surprising development to come as Lemon is already in hot water for “screaming” at co-host Kaitlan Collins earlier this month, the 56-year-old CNN host was nowhere to be seen when CNN This Morning aired on Friday morning.
Instead, Collins was joined by journalist Audie Cornish who was apparently filling in for Lemon while he “took the day off.”
Meanwhile, CNN This Morning c-host Poppy Harlow was also not in the studio because she is currently on location in Salt Lake City, Utah to cover the upcoming NBA All-Star weekend festivities.
“Don has the day off,” Collins announced at the beginning of Friday morning’s broadcast, although she did not elaborate on Lemon’s suspicious absence.
“Poppy, as you can see, is in Utah for the NBA All-Star Game, so we’ll get to that and much more in a moment,” Collins added before she and Cornish reported on the top news stories of the morning.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Lemon caused both Collins and Harlow to storm off set on Thursday morning shortly after he claimed Haley – who announced her 2024 White House bid on Tuesday – “isn’t in her prime.”
“This whole talk about age makes me uncomfortable,” Lemon commented after Haley called for mental capacity tests for political candidates aged 75 and older.
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“I think it’s the wrong road to go down,” he continued. “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.”
Shortly after his remarks about Haley, and after Collins and Harlow stormed off set, Lemon took to social media to issue a public apology for his shocking comments regarding the 51-year-old GOP presidential candidate’s age.
"The reference I made to a woman’s 'prime' this morning was inartful and irrelevant, as colleagues and loved ones have pointed out, and I regret it," Lemon tweeted on Thursday afternoon.
"A woman’s age doesn't define her either personally or professionally,” he added. “I have countless women in my life who prove that every day."
According to the New York Post, Lemon’s confrontation with Collins earlier this month followed by his controversial and condemned remarks about Haley on Thursday has reportedly caused CNN boss Chris Licht to consider firing the disgraced news anchor from the already struggling network.
“Chris isn’t happy and he has spoken to Don a couple of times today,” one CNN insider told the Post on Thursday. “Don knows it can’t happen again.”