Anchor Don Lemon will return to work Wednesday after he receives formal training for his comments about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on “CNN This Morning,” network CEO Chris Licht said in an email to employees Monday night.
Lemon has not been on the air since Thursday, when during a discussion on “CNN This Morning” about the ages of politicians he said that the 51-year-old Haley was not “in her prime.” A woman, he said, was considered in her prime “in her 20s, 30s and maybe her 40s.”
Challenged by co-host Poppy Harlow, Lemon added: “Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying what the facts are.”
“I sat down with Don and had a frank and meaningful conversation,” Licht wrote in a memo. “He has agreed to participate in formal training, as well as continuing to listen and learn. We take this situation very seriously,” CNN Business reported.
Lemon has since apologized, but he has been widely condemned, including by Licht. According to The New York Times, Licht chastised Lemon during an editorial call Friday, saying his remarks were “upsetting, unacceptable and unfair” and a “huge distraction.”
“When I make a mistake, I own it,” Lemon said. “And I own this one as well.”