Don Lemon’s Co-Hosts “Stormed Off The Set” After His Comments About Nikki Haley Being Past Her Prime

For those that haven’t witnessed the latest deep thoughts to emerge out of the brain of CNN’s recently demoted Don Lemon, look no further than this past week. The 57 year old Lemon was widely criticized late last week after he said that Presidential candidate Nikki Haley was “past her prime” because she was in her 50s. 

The comments have reportedly led to the next stage in a rift between Lemon and his co-hosts – who reportedly weren’t getting along to begin with – wherein they “stormed off the set” after his brilliant commentary, according to the Daily Mail. 

Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins reportedly both took a “well timed bathroom break” after Lemon’s comments, before coming back to finish the show. 

The Mail wrote that “the comments were the last straw in an already deteriorating relationship between the news professionals, with Collins and Harlow increasingly fed up with Lemon’s behavior since coming on board.”

Despite the comments, CNN’s Chris Licht doesn’t seem keen on letting Lemon go from the network just yet. One source told the Mail:

‘Licht isn’t doing anything about it,’ the source told the paper, adding that the trio’s relationship had already ‘been smoldering for months’ amid a series of eye-brow raising incidents involving the longtime anchor.

Another person familiar with the matter offered valuable insight to how Licht, who has struggled to right the sinking CNN ship since being brought on last February, might react to the highly publicized ordeal. 

“People say stupid things. And that if it’s a trend then there’s recourse,” Licht reportedly said at a staff meeting. 

“Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry. A woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s,” Lemon said in a broadcast early last week. When his morning show co-host, Poppy Harlow, pushed back on the claim, Lemon told her and the CNN audience to “Google it”. 

The comments sparked outrage from sources across the political spectrum, including the likes NPR, who referred to the comments as “sexist”. 

The incident appears to us to be the final swirl of Don Lemon’s TV career down the toilet, following the likes of Chris Cuomo and Brian Stelter. 

Recall, back in September 2022 we wrote about Lemon’s obvious demotion from primetime to mornings on CNN. At the time, he said: “For all those who are out there saying, ‘Oh, he moved me and without my —,’ he asked me and I said yes. I could have said no. This is my show, I have a contract for this show, I decided I would take him up on that and take this journey with him. This is not someone moving me.”

Lemon exclaimed back in September: “I was not demoted. None of that. This is an opportunity. This is a promotion. This is an opportunity for me to create something around me and I get to work with two great ladies [Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins] who you know.”

How’s that working out now, Don?