Call it Lemon aid..CNN is coming to the aid of its embattled morning show anchor, Don Lemon, who is back on air as of Wednesday, on the stipulation he undergoes formal training. .On Feb. 16, during a segment of CNN This Morning involving the ages of politicians, Lemon went on a strange diatribe about when women are and are not in their prime, targetting 51-year-old GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley, saying she wasn’t in her prime..Specifically, Lemon was responding to Haley’s call for mental competency tests for politicians older than 75 during her presidential kickoff last Wednesday..He said it wasn’t necessarily his opinion, but he said a Google search says women are in their prime in their 20s, 30s and 40s, making it sound as if he believed Google is all knowing..In a video announcing her run for the presidency, Haley said the “Washington establishment failed us over and over and over again. It’s time for a new generation of leadership.”.“Nikki Haley is not in her prime, sorry” said Lemon..Labelled as a sexist remark, Lemon was pulled from the CNN program for three days..His return was told to CNN staff in a Monday night memo..“I sat down with Don and had a frank and meaningful conversation. He has agreed to participate in formal training, as well as continuing to listen and learn. We take this situation very seriously,” Licht said in the memo obtained by Fox News Digital..“His remarks were upsetting, unacceptable, and unfair to his co-hosts, and ultimately a huge distraction to the great work of this organization.”.“It is important to me that CNN balances accountability with a fostering culture in which people can own, learn and grow from their mistakes. To that end, Don will return to CNN This Morning on Wednesday,” Licht said, according to Fox News..Lemon Tweeted an apology on Feb. 16 and then to CNN staff on a phone call Feb. 17..“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,” Lemon tweeted. “I have countless women in my life who prove that every day.”.Lemon was roasted over the coals for not apologizing directly to Haley..But Lemon has allies, including The View co-host, Whoopi Goldberg, who fired off a shot at Haley, saying she is not part of the “new generation” of which she claims to be a member..Goldberg played a clip of Haley saying, “It’s time for a new generation of leadership.”.“You’re not a new generation,” bellowed Goldberg. “You’re 51. What are you talking about?”.Her co-host, Republican strategist Alyssa Farah Griffin, came to Haley’s defence..“Compared to DC, though, that’s a new generation,” Griffin said. “Congress is old.”.Goldberg held firm, saying “it’s not a new generation,” adding, “She may be younger than most of those people, but her rhetoric is the same. She’s saying the same BS.”.On the other side, ABC News contributor, Sarah Isgur, appearing on Real Time with Bill Maher, slammed Lemon for his sexist comments, despite part of Maher’s show being aired on CNN..During Friday’s Overtime segment, where Maher addresses viewers’ questions, Isgur was asked about Haley’s suggestion politicians aged 75 and up should require mental competency tests..“As Don Lemon told us on CNN, women actually can’t run for president because he said we’re past our prime once we get to our 40s. But since you have to be 35 to run, it’s like this really a tiny window between 35 and 40,” said Isgur, to audience laughter..For her part, Haley took it all in stride on Fox News’ The Story with Martha MacCallum Monday..“If my age is all they have, it means we’re winning,” she said. “I’m OK with that.”
