Don Lemon’s time at CNN may be coming to an end.
According to Fox News, an insider at the establishment media network stated Lemon is taking a “vacation” from his duties in the wake of last week’s controversy over a sexist comment.
According to the source, Lemon’s eventual return to on-air responsibilities would depend on “where his head is at.”
Lemon’s absence followed a piece on Thursday’s “CNN This Morning” in which he questioned Nikki Haley’s viability as a presidential candidate based on her age.
Lemon asserted that Haley, 51, “isn’t in her prime,” seemingly conflating her motherhood and her career.
Don Lemon: "Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime. Sorry, when a woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s, and 30s, and maybe 40s…"
Poppy Harlow: "Are you talking about prime for like child bearing?"
"Don’t shoot the messenger! I’m just saying what the facts are! Google it!" pic.twitter.com/n1HmtkWTpl
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 16, 2023
Lemon eventually retracted the “prime” statement in a Thursday afternoon Twitter tweet, although he did not personally apologize to Haley.
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. A woman’s age doesn't define her either personally or professionally. I have countless women in my life who prove that every day.
— Don Lemon (@donlemon) February 16, 2023
The strange monologue earned Lemon censure from CNN’s executives, with CEO Chris Licht allegedly expressing disappointment in the progressive media personality during a Friday editorial conference call.
Licht’s reorganization of the media organization’s workforce may result in the termination of Lemon’s job, given the situation.
According to a Sunday Daily Beast article citing a CNN source, the incident has prompted “ongoing conversations about Don’s future.” The Daily Beast’s post was titled, “Don Lemon Benched on Monday Over Sexist Remark Scandal, Insiders Say.”
According to the New York Post, Lemon was scheduled to return to “CNN This Morning” on Monday.
After being demoted from his night program, Lemon has engaged in an ongoing rivalry with his “CNN This Morning” co-hosts, Penny Harlow and Kaitlin Collins.
Earlier this month, Lemon ran over Harlow to criticize the method of inquiry that Collins utilized in an interview with House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer.
Even during a commercial break, Lemon lectured Harlow in a monologue that referenced QAnon and Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Lemon has routinely interrupted his coworkers during live broadcasts.
Awkward. Supercut by @CurtisHouck of Don Lemon and Kaitlan Collins interrupting each other on just one broadcast of CNN This Morning. pic.twitter.com/8hw23vFtsT
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) February 6, 2023
“He is a constant distraction,” a CNN insider told The Daily Beast.
Former CNN President Jeff Zucker, who was ousted from the network due to a sexual misconduct controversy, elevated Lemon.
CNN’s new leadership have endeavored to reinvent the contentious news agency as a neutral news outlet, abandoning the progressive opinion programming for which characters like Don Lemon are renowned.