To the surprise of many, Don Lemon returned to CNN This Morning on Wednesday for the first time since his inflammatory remarks against presidential candidate Nikki Haley prompted an ongoing controversy.
Initially, it was unclear how the channel would proceed after retaining Lemon for two extra weekdays after his scheduled day off. Chris Licht, the head of CNN, confirmed the anchor’s return to his morning responsibilities around the middle of the week in a message to employees that was later made public. Indeed, the hosting status quo was in place, but according to reports, tensions remain high among his coworkers and superiors.
Don Lemon And Poppy Harlow Had A Stressful Interview
30 minutes before his return to the air with Poppy Harlow, Don Lemon turned to Twitter to express his gratitude for the opportunity to return to work and to issue a second public apology for describing Nikki Haley as “beyond her prime” at age 51. While some viewers may have anticipated that Wednesday morning’s broadcast would address Don Lemon’s absence or the statements he made before his vacation, nothing of the kind occurred. Instead, events began with him astride Poppy Harlow as if nothing terrible had occurred.
The only moment during the show when Lemon looked to have this entire incident foremost in his mind was during a story about British firms experimenting with a four-day workweek. Having received public criticism from late-night television and comedians, with Dave Chappelle’s Netflix special comments infuriating him in particular, Lemon apparently has also received a good amount of off-camera complaints. The New York Post claimed in December, weeks before his Nikki Haley remarks, that Lemon allegedly yelled at Collins after the cameras stopped filming because she interrupted him on broadcast, prompting her to leave the set.
