Don Lemon returned to “CNN This Morning” on Wednesday.
Lemon took several days off after his comments about GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley.
Turmoil was already taking place behind the scenes between him and his co-hosts.
Don Lemon is back on the air at CNN after his controversial comments about when a woman is in her “prime.” But the network has reportedly warned another remark like that will cost him his job.
The anchor returned to CNN This Morning on Wednesday after several days off the air. Last week, he faced backlash after claiming former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) is not in her “prime” because “when a woman is considered to be in her prime [is] in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40.” He apologized on Twitter and to his CNN colleagues for his “inartful and irrelevant” remarks.
Lemon offered another apology Wednesday, tweeting that “I appreciate the opportunity to be back” on the air. “To my network, my colleagues and our incredible audience — I’m sorry,” he wrote. “I’ve heard you, I’m learning from you, and I’m committed to doing better. See you soon.” Lemon did not address the comment on the air Wednesday. He has been off for several days, though his absence on Friday was reportedly pre-planned.
Meanwhile, TMZ reports CNN management informed Lemon that “he’s a strike away from getting the boot permanently” and that “this was his final warning.” TMZ previously reported that when Lemon apologized on an internal CNN call, some felt his remarks were “tone deaf” because he “essentially said some of his best friends are women.”
It turns out the show did better in the ratings without him.
During his hiatus, there was a 5% increase in viewership of the show.
Don Lemon’s three-day hiatus from “CNN This Morning” resulted in a 5% increase in viewership for the struggling cable news show, which was thrown into turmoil by the co-host’s sexist remarks about GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley last week.
Viewership of “CNN This Morning” reached a total of 617,000 households on Feb. 17 — the first day of Lemon’s absence. The next day, viewership reached 678,000 total households during the three-hour block this past Monday, according to data provided by Samba TV, the analytics firm that provides real-time data on audience measurement for streaming services.
“CNN This Morning” attracted an even larger audience on Tuesday, when it drew 709,000 households, according to Samba TV. Lemon eventually returned on Wednesday.
“Following the backlash from his remarks on presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s age, Lemon’s two-day absence from the studio actually appears to have boosted the network’s average ratings,” Dallas Lawrence, a senior vice president at Samba TV, told The Post.
If CNN decided to start reporting real news maybe they could see an even bigger rating spike!
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