Don Lemon is back on set following his sexiest remark at Nikki Haley the news reporter took some days off after taking to Twitter to apologize.
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Don Lemon is back on set following his sexiest remark at Nikki Haley the news reporter took some days off after taking to Twitter to apologize.
Swipe to see more.
However, it doesn't seem like his apology did much, as he faced backlash on Twitter for various reasons; while some disagreed with Don for making a remorseless apology, others advised he apologize again while adding Haley's name to the apology.
On the other hand, Don kept mute to all the allegations, only to report to work on Wednesday after a much-needed vacation with his beau Malone at Miami beach on Friday.
Don Lemon returned to his Wednesday morning duties at CNN, nearly a week after making sexist remarks on-air, Lemon tweeted an apology before appearing on CNN This Morning.
Lemon tweeted,
"I appreciate the opportunity to be back on @CNNThisMorning today. To my network, my colleagues and our incredible audience — I’m sorry. “I’ve heard you, I’m learning from you, and I’m committed to doing better. See you soon."
Then, while Kaitlan Collins was reporting from Warsaw, Poland, where she was covering President Biden, Lemon opened the show with a rather uninteresting segment in the studio with cohost Poppy Harlow.
Don responded to Biden's statement that Kyiv had maintained its resolve a year after Russia invaded Ukraine. He said a very moving speech from the President as he turned to face Harlow.
Harlow remarked,
"Very powerful and juxtaposed to what we heard from Putin in the morning," referring to the Russian President's speech in opposition to Biden's.
Turning to Lemon, Harlow added cheerily,
"What a day. Good morning everyone, Don and I are here in New York. And Kaitlin is live again in Warsaw Poland."
Neither a reference to Don's sexist comments from last week's broadcast nor a live apology from Lemon was made.
On the set, it appeared as though they were portraying a happy family; at least, that is how the hosts attempted to make it appear.
Behind the scenes, however, there is a lot of tension. According to TMZ, Don has only one strike left before the network fires him. According to a source cited by them, he will be fired if he commits another error.
The source also told TMZ that Don received the final warning from senior CNN executives this week when they spoke with him.
He reportedly isn't content at CNN, according to the outlet.
On "CNN This Morning" on Thursday, Lemon made sexist remarks while discussing the presidential campaign of former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
Most CNN staff, including his cohosts Harlow and Collins, were shocked and offended. Don made an apology attempt, but his coworkers ignored him.
When Haley announced her presidential bid, she demanded that politicians over 75 undergo mental competency tests. 51-year-old Haley, according to Lemon, "isn't in her prime."
Lemon claimed that a woman is only "considered to be in her prime in her 20s, 30s, and maybe 40s" to support his position.
Co-anchors Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins reacted negatively to the remarks, but Lemon persisted in making his point and even doubled down on it in a segment the following hour.
Later that day, Haley responded on Twitter, criticizing Lemon for the remarks and even using them to raise money.
Lemon's remarks were deemed "unacceptable" by Licht, who added that they were "unfair to his cohosts."
Licht added that he thought it was critical to promote an environment of accountability and that it was crucial for Lemon to attend the morning meeting to express his regret physically.
At the meeting, Don expressed his regrets and did so on Twitter.