CNN anchor Don Lemon will return to the network Wednesday and receive “formal training” after he was widely condemned for saying that Nikki Haley “isn’t in her prime.”
In a memo to staff on Monday evening, as reported by CNN Business, network president Chris Licht explained that he is taking the situation very seriously and that he had sat down with the anchor for “a frank and meaningful conversation.”
“[Lemon] has agreed to participate in formal training, as well as continuing to listen and learn,” Licht said.
“It is important to me that CNN balances accountability with…fostering a culture in which people can own, learn and grow from their mistakes,” he added.
Lemon previously apologized to employees for his error during a Friday editorial meeting. “When I make a mistake, I own it,” Lemon said. “And I own this one as well.”
The comments about Haley were made during a Thursday discussion on CNN This Morning, which Lemon moved to after eight years at the helm of his own primetime show. The topic was Haley’s proposal to require a competency exam for candidates running for office over the age of 75.
“Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry,” said Lemon. “A woman is considered to be in her prime — in her 20s, 30s and maybe her 40s.”
The comments immediately drew the ire of his co-hosts, Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, but Lemon wasn’t dissuaded, doubling down on them in a later segment.
It was only after widespread backlash from inside and outside CNN that Lemon backtracked.
Haley herself asserted that the comments were sexist, tweeting that “to be clear, I am NOT calling for competency tests for Sexist middle-aged CNN anchors; only for people who make our laws and are 75+.”