CNN star Don Lemon has flown to Miami to spend time sunbathing with his fiancée amid calls for him to be fired from the flagship morning show.
The 56-year-old was spotted swimming and romping on the beach hours after attending a CNN editorial call from Miami, where he again apologized to staff for his comments.
CNN chairman Chris Licht called his comments “upsetting, unacceptable and unfair to his co-hosts and ultimately a huge distraction from the great work of this organization.”
Lemon made several “sexist” comments on Thursday’s show as she discussed GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s proposal that politicians aged 75 and older should be subjected to mental competency tests.
His comments reportedly left many staff unfazed, but Lemon washed away the criticism by relaxing with partner Tim Mahone at the $2,000-a-night luxury beach resort of Faena.
The 56-year-old was spotted swimming and romping on the beach hours after attending a CNN editorial call from Miami, where he again apologized to staff for his comments
Lemon was spotted smiling hours after the backlash intensified as he relaxed at a luxury Miami resort
The couple were spotted sunbathing and swimming in the sea while Lemon paused to smile and laugh on the phone – although it’s unclear if it was the CNN call.
Lemon took time off Friday, just a day after making the controversial comments and apologizing on Twitter.
During the call, Lemon said, “I’m sorry, I don’t want to hurt anyone. I didn’t want to offend anyone.
“What I said came out wrong and I wish I hadn’t said it. I believe that women of any age can do anything they put their minds to. The people I’m closest to in this organization are women.
“If I make a mistake. I own it and I own this one too. I understand why you are upset and disappointed.
“I was trying to point out that nobody’s age should determine their ambition or potential for success, and I made those comments to Nikki Haley. I will continue to be who I am.”
Lemon also cited his relationships with Dana Bash, Erin Burnett, Amy Entelis and his mother and sister, according to TMZ.
His comments caused a stir when a senior CNN official contradicted, “That’s great, but it’s our viewers who deserve an apology.”
An insider said the pressure to fire Lemon had mounted following his constant gaffes on the early morning show
Lemon didn’t seem to care about the world as he laughed and joked with someone on his phone during the trip
The couple were spotted sunbathing and swimming in the sea while Lemon paused to smile and laugh on the phone – although it’s unclear if it was the CNN call
CNN staffers reportedly called Lemon “tone deaf” after the call, with one saying it looked like he was patting himself on the back for admitting his mistake.
An insider said the pressure to fire Lemon had mounted following his constant gaffes on the early morning show.
They told : “Don has been walking on thin ice for so long and many wanted him fired in December when he freaked out on Kaitlin Collins for no reason. She was in tears and it was so inappropriate.
“Regardless of his political affiliation, his comments that Nikki Haley was past her prime were disgusting. Poppy was angry as she should be and still is.
“He’s rude, self-righteous and clearly sexist. Nikki did the right thing by calling him out.
“His apology meant nothing and there is so much pressure that he is canned. It would be a shock if he wasn’t.”
Kaitlan Collins opened the show on Friday by saying her controversial co-host “has the day off” as Poppy Harlow joked she would “complain to the bosses” after becoming All-Star NBA game in Utah.
His comments reportedly left many staff unfazed, but Lemon has washed away the criticism by relaxing at a luxury beach resort with partner Tim Mahone
CNN didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from , but the moderators did point out that Lemon would be absent from Thursday’s show
CNN chairman Chris Licht called his comments “upsetting, unacceptable and unfair to his co-hosts and ultimately a huge distraction from the great work of this organization.”
Lemon was replaced by Audie Cornish for the day as the show avoided acknowledging the comments he had made the previous day, despite increasing calls for pressuring him out.
CNN didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from , but the moderators did point out that Lemon would be absent from Thursday’s show.
They said: “A special pleasure. Audie will be joining us tomorrow, Don will be leaving, Poppy will be on errand and anchor from Salt Lake City.”
However, the announcement came two hours after he first commented during a 6:30 segment of the show — with Lemon laughing and Audie saying, “That’s a hot spot, I hope you can handle it.”
Insiders told that Lemon was “rude, self-righteous and clearly sexist,” adding that “his apology meant nothing.”
They said: “Don has been walking on thin ice for so long and many wanted him fired in December when he freaked out on Kaitlin Collins for no reason. She was in tears and it was so inappropriate.
Kaitlan Collins (right) opened the show by saying her co-host “has the day off” as Lemon was replaced by Audie Cornish (left) for the day, with the show reflecting on the comments he made the day before had not recognized
Lemon, 56, went “ballistic” towards staffers who highlighted the argument with Collins, according to RadarOnline – with the presenter claiming she “interrupted” him during a broadcast in December.
“Regardless of his political affiliation, his comments that Nikki Haley was past her prime were disgusting. Poppy was angry as she should be and still is.
“He’s rude, self-righteous and clearly sexist. Nikki did the right thing by calling him out.
“His apology meant nothing and there is so much pressure that he is canned. It would be a shock if he wasn’t.”
Collins was also quick to sing the praises of Cornish, her co-host for a day, by posting a picture of them together on her Instagram.
Harlow, Lemon and Collins had discussed Haley’s proposal during a speech Wednesday announcing her candidacy for president.
Lemon, who is five years older than Haley, 51, said the politician should approach the issue cautiously because “a woman is in her prime in her 20s and 30s and maybe in her 40s.”
Haley herself responded to Lemon’s comments, saying in a tweet with a clip of the video segment, “It’s always the liberals who are the most sexist.”
After reports of falling out with Collins, he traveled to Beverly Hills with his partner Tim Malone for the Grammys
Collins, 30, the youngest CNN White House correspondent, reportedly wanted to be on set with the host “as little as possible” after the incident. Pictured: Lemon with co-stars Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins at an NBA game
Apologizing for his comments on Thursday’s show, Lemon tweeted: “The reference I made this morning to a woman’s ‘Prime’ was clumsy and irrelevant as colleagues and family have pointed out and I regret it.
“A woman’s age doesn’t define her personally or professionally. I have countless women in my life who prove that every day.”
An angry Harlow is said to have stormed off the set after Thursday’s “sexist” exchange, sources told the New York Post.
Harlow took a “well-timed” bathroom break and was followed into the bathroom by Kaitlan Collins – with the source adding that the strained relationship “has been smoldering for months”.
Collins had her own encounter with her fellow host, who repeatedly interrupted her on camera throughout the December 8 show.
Lemon is said to have made Collins run off the set in tears after he verbally abused her in front of the TV crew and her other co-host.
The CNN This Morning host allegedly made Kaitlan Collins run off the set in tears on December 8 after berating her in front of the TV crew and her other co-host
Lemon made his comments on Thursday’s episode of CNN This Morning alongside co-hosts Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow
Afterward, he was reportedly told by boss Chris Licht to take a day to “cool off,” but instead blasted employees after a company newsletter ran a story about his altercation with the White House correspondent.
It seems like he received the same advice after his “sexism spat,” though sources at CNN insisted his day off was pre-approved.
According to RadarOnline, Lemon got “ballistic” at staffers who highlighted the argument with Collins – with the presenter claiming she “interrupted” him during a broadcast in December.
After the initial argument, Lemon traveled to Beverly Hills with his partner Tim Malone for the Grammys.
Traveling from New York to Los Angeles for the Grammys, the couple appeared to be soaking up the sun in the Golden State – ignoring the drama unfolding at home.
Collins, 30, the youngest chief White House correspondent in CNN’s history, reportedly wants to be on set with the host “as little as possible” after the incident.
The argument took place off-camera on Dec. 8, leaving Collins “visibly upset” and other staffers “shaken” by his outburst.
Lemon used to have his own show Don Lemon Tonight before Licht canceled it and created the new morning show
Since the December incident, Lemon has been sent to Memphis and other assignments, while Collins worked from Washington DC several times in January.
Lemon’s explosion in December isn’t the first wrong move he’s made as he adjusts to sharing the limelight with his new peers.
A week earlier, he was gunned down by Collins and Harlow after they accused him of explaining why the US men’s soccer team should be paid more despite their lack of success.
He insisted he was joking when he said men were “more interesting to look at” – with the interaction making for awkward viewing.
CNN This Morning has suffered a ratings bomb and earlier last month experienced its least watched week since launch, averaging just over 330,000 viewers.