CNN yanked Don Lemon off the air for several days after his comments about Nikki Haley.
The only question left was whether or not CNN would fire Lemon.
And now Don Lemon got this major update about his future at CNN.
CNN network President Chris Licht announced in a memo that Don Lemon would return to CNN after a three day suspension and participating in woke re-education programs.
“I sat down with Don and had a frank and meaningful conversation. He has agreed to participate in formal training, as well as continuing to listen and learn. We take this situation very seriously,” Licht’s memo read. “It is important to me that CNN balances accountability with fostering a culture in which people can own, learn and grow from their mistakes. To that end, Don will return to CNN This Morning on Wednesday.”
Lemon infuriated colleagues and his two female co-hosts by claiming Nikki Haley was unqualified to serve as President because she was past her sexual prime.
Some wondered if this was the end of the line for Lemon at CNN.
Tucker Carlson speculated that Lemon’s firing was now inevitable.
But that was not the case.
CNN insiders told Fox News that Lemon was a member of the “protected class” inside the network.
Fox News reports:
A CNN insider said Lemon has “no defenders” inside the network over the situation and everyone is still “pissed.” If he were forced out, “it would probably be welcomed by a lot of people,” they said. “I think there’s an array of people who maybe like him personally, not professionally.”
A second insider, asked whether Lemon was well-liked in the building, replied “not anymore,” citing a dramatic shift in recent days.
But despite the animosity, the insider says while consensus of internal network chatter is that “absolutely” he should go, Lemon remains “untouchable” since he’s “part of a protected class.”
Licht firing Lemon would represent a dramatic step.
When Licht moved Lemon from primetime to host CNN This Morning the move was seen as the centerpiece of Licht’s attempt to rebuild CNNs ratings by revamping both the morning and primetime lineups.
But This Morning draws lower ratings than the show it replaced and Licht cannot nail down a new program to anchor primetime.
CNN posted its lowest ratings in nearly a decade last year and the network is facing an existential crisis.
Getting rid of Lemon would send a signal to viewers that CNN is looking to shed its image as the anti-Trump network.
