Don Lemon’s Apology for Nikki Haley Age Remarks Hints at Deeper Tensions at CNN Morning Show

variety.com:

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor The premise of a good morning-news show is that it helps viewers wake up with their morning coffee.

CNN’s new A.M. entry is quickly turning into a place where the coffee is being thrown. Don Lemon, one of the three anchors of ‘CNN This Morning,” apologized Thursday afternoon for remarks made on the morning’s broadcast about when women are in their prime, during a segment about comments from new Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley regarding the age of some of her political rivals. “She says people, you know, politicians or something are not in their prime,” Lemon said on the program “Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry.

A woman is considered to be in their prime in 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.” The comment spurred co-anchor Poppy Harlow to try to get Lemon to modify his stance. “What are you talking about, wait — prime for what?” she asked, spurring Lemon to step even further into his position. “If you Google ‘when is a woman in her prime,’ it’ll say 20s, 30s and 40s.” The on-air dust-up has drawn attention both inside and outside the Warner Bros.

Discovery cable-news outlet, according to a person familiar with the matter, with younger staffers taking offense and others asking how CNN can try to book prominent female politicians and newsmakers after one of its most prominent anchors seemed to inveigh against older women.