NEW YORK (AP) — Anchor Don Lemon will return to work Wednesday after receiving formal training for his comments about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on “CNN This Morning,” network CEO Chris Licht said in -an email addressed to employees on Monday evening. .
Lemon has been on air since Thursday when, during a discussion on “CNN This Morning” about the ages of politicians, he said Haley, 51, was not “in her prime.” A woman, he said, was considered to be in her prime “in her 20s, 30s, maybe 40s.”
Challenged by co-host Poppy Harlow, Lemon added: “Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just stating the facts.”
“I sat down with Don and had an honest and meaningful conversation,” Licht wrote in a statement. “She agreed to attend formal classes and continue to listen and learn. We take this situation very seriously,” CNN Business reported.
Lemon has since apologized, but has been widely condemned, including by Licht.
According to The New York Times , Licht chastised Lemon during an editorial call on Friday, saying her remarks were “upsetting, unacceptable and unfair” and a “huge distraction.”
“When I make a mistake, I admit it,” Lemon said. “I own that too.”
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