Late Sunday, a report from The Daily Beast claimed Don Lemon was “benched” by CNN after his recent comments about 2024 Republican Presidential candidate Nikki Haley came under fire.
However, the network has denied that Lemon’s future is in doubt, and added that he simply was observing President’s Day.
“He is taking the holiday,” a CNN spokesperson told Mediaite. “He’s been chased by paparazzi all weekend. He’s been under attack. He’s not ready to go back on air.”
Lemon’s comments came on Thursday of last week, where he said that the 51-year-old Haley was “past her prime”, before co-anchor Poppy Harlow pushed back on his comments. Harlow reportedly left the set in anger during a commercial break, which was refuted as a “well-timed bathroom break”.
After the comments, Lemon has since apologized to both CNN employees and the public, calling his statement “inartful” and “irrelevant”.
Lemon also did not co-host the show on Friday, however, he had previously announced he would miss that day’s show before he came under fire.
CNN This Morning was anchored by Harlow and Sara Sidner from New York Monday morning, while Kaitlan Collins appeared in Poland covering the trip made by President Joe Biden.
