CNN host Don Lemon received significant backlash this week for his comment about 51-year-old politician Nikki Haley not being in “her prime.” As a result, he has been removed from the network’s morning show line-up for Monday, February 20.

We believe in holding journalists accountable for their words and actions, and we hope that this decision sends a message that derogatory comments will not be tolerated.

During Thursday’s broadcast of CNN This Morning, the 56-year-old anchor made comments about politician Nikki Haley’s age, which caused quite a stir.

He expressed discomfort with the topic of age and then went on to make derogatory remarks about women, saying that a woman’s prime is in her 20s, 30s, and maybe 40s.

This led to his co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins leaving the set in protest of his age-shaming comments. We believe in treating all individuals with respect, regardless of their age or gender, and we support the decision of the co-hosts to take a stand against this behavior.

Lemon ended up giving a halfhearted apology during an editorial phone conference on Friday morning, confessing that he was “sorry” and that he didn’t “mean to hurt” or to “offend anyone.”

He also tried to walk back his original comments explaining, “What I said came out wrong and I wish I hadn’t said it. I believe women of any age can do anything they set their minds to. The people I am closest to in this organization are women.”

Apparently, the relationship between the three co-hosts have been “smoldering for months,” according to insiders.

One source close to the matter told Confider there are serious “ongoing conversations about Don’s future,” hinting at the CNN personality losing more than just his seat at the morning table. The insider went on to call the primetime anchor a “constant distraction.”

“He has a colossal ego and he’s the kind of person who goes around saying he’s not going to take the fall for his show flopping, it’s not his fault and the network’s tanking, and they shouldn’t have pushed him out of his primetime slot,” they continued.

Lemon, who was in Miami with his fiancé over the weekend, did not appear on CNN This Morning this past Friday, as he had a scheduled day off, but now it’s unclear when, if ever, the host will ever return to his post.