‘I’m sorry’: Don Lemon returns to CNN after online apology for sexist comments
Don Lemon returned to CNN early Wednesday, making no mention of the scandal over his sexist comments — saving it for a brief apology online moments before going on air.
After skipping the previous three episodes of “CNN This Morning,” the under-fire host immediately got back to business at 6 a.m. by praising President Biden.
He made eye contact with Poppy Harlow, the co-host who reportedly stormed off after his outrageous on-air claim last week that 51-year-old GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley “isn’t in her prime” because she’s a woman.
“What a day,” said Harlow, 40, seemingly also referring to Biden’s European trip supporting Ukraine and not her 56-year-old co-host’s recent scandal-spurred absence.
“Good morning, everyone, Don and I are here in New York, we’re glad you’re with us,” Harlow said as fellow co-host Kaitlan Collins was covering the president in Poland.
Neither made mention of the ongoing scandal of Lemon’s on-air comments — but Lemon noted the backlash in a tweeted apology posted less than half an hour before he reappeared on his morning show.
“I appreciate the opportunity to be back on @CNNThisMorning today,” he wrote amid calls for him to have been fired.
“To my network, my colleagues and our incredible audience — I’m sorry.
“I’ve heard you, I’m learning from you, and I’m committed to doing better. See you soon,” he wrote.
It came after an earlier apology in which he said: “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.”
CNN boss Chris Licht had told staff in a memo that he had a “frank and meaningful conversation” with Lemon before approving the network’s controversial anchor’s return.
“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.
Many critics continued to rip the network for allowing him back, however, including Megyn Kelly, who called Lemon’s so-called re-education “a farce and a lie.”
“Do women matter? Does our offense matter to CNN or does someone have to grab a boob for us to count?” she asked Licht.
“Because this guy managed to piss off half the country. It’s not left or right, it’s male and female — and by the way, a lot of the men are with us
“You don’t have to be a #MeToo supporter to be irritated and offended by what Doin Lemon said,” she raged in a video shared on Twitter.
