Lonely Lemon: Insiders Report that Embattled CNN Anchor Has 'Zero Defenders Left'

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While CNN morning show anchor Don Lemon vacationed in a posh Miami hotel this weekend, CNN staffers raged at the controversial host’s sexist remarks targeting former ambassador to the U.N. and 2024 presidential candidate Nikki Haley last week—with many of them insisting that Lemon either resign or be fired.

Last Thursday, Lemon opined that Haley was no longer at the top of her game because women are “considered to be in their prime in their 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.” According to Daily Mail, female staffers were not amused, with one source saying:

People are hurt by his actions and are not going to let this go. It is like every woman over 50 in America has taken this as a personal insult. The female staffers at CNN definitely have. He needs to make his vacation a permanent one.

Here’s the moment in question:

Don Lemon says Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime as a politician because she’s not in her 20’s, 30’s or 40’s. Holy shit. She’s only 51! Biden’s 80! This may be the dumbest thing ever said on CNN. And I love that he cited Google as his source: pic.twitter.com/l1CzTYlkjX

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) February 16, 2023

Lemon was not scheduled to appear the next day, Friday; he was supposed to appear Monday but did not. “Don was definitely scheduled to work Monday, and I can tell you he has zero defenders left,” an insider told the NY Post.

The $64,000 question is: will he be back on the air Tuesday?

Not if the other employees are any indication; another source told the Post: “The outrage, internally, has not died down. People are upset.”

Although the 17-year CNN veteran has issued several apologies, they have not gone over well, as another CNN staffer reported:

There is not one person at CNN who that thinks that he should remain on air. He knows how badly he screwed up and he also knows that he cannot talk his way out of this one. His apology meant nothing.

Here’s one of those poorly-received mea culpas:

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

It is to be noted that virtually all these sources are anonymous, so their statements need to be taken with a grain of salt. However, as I reported, even White House officials took note of the brouhaha, with National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby and Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre mocking his statements from the press briefing podium. Nikki Haley herself also responded, tweeting ‘It’s always the liberals who are the most sexist.”

CNN Chairman Chris Licht piled on, lighting into his anchor on a Friday morning editorial call:

“His remarks were upsetting, unacceptable and unfair to his co-hosts, and ultimately a huge distraction to the great work of this organization,” Mr. Licht told his staff, according to a recording of the call obtained by The New York Times.

When your boss talks about you like that, you can be pretty sure your days are numbered.

I opined in a recent piece that Don LemON—as Tucker Carlson likes to call him—seemingly is going out of his way to get fired. Several days have passed since then, and I still can’t think of another explanation. He’s been at woke CNN long enough to know that remarks like that would be sure to set off a firestorm, and his apologies have been unconvincing. Instead of laying low, meanwhile, he took the weekend to be seen sunbathing in Miami, seemingly without a care in the world. Not a good look.

The reasons he would want to do such a thing are beyond me, but perhaps he’s angling for a huge golden parachute, or he’s hoping to get the axe so he can sue for millions on some ridiculous pretext. Alternatively, he knows his morning show is a ratings and critical disaster, and he wanted to jump ship. Far be it from me to know what goes on in Lemon’s mind.

I wouldn’t bet money that he’ll be back Tuesday, but I sure could lay down ten bucks that he’s soon off the airwaves at CNN. From the sound of it, no one will miss him.

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