Don Lemon will not appear on CNN This Morning after controversy over Monday’s comments

Don Lemon does not appear in the Monday edition of CNN this morningwho missed the show amid controversy over comments he made about women last week, prompting an apology on Twitter and staff.

Lemon is on vacation, a CNN representative confirmed. He was absent from Friday’s show due to a pre-arranged time off. Sara Sidner is expected to fill in, along with co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins.

CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht called Lemon’s comments on Thursday’s show “unacceptable” in a staff meeting Friday, with Lemon apologizing to the staff after previously tweeting that he regretted the comments.

In a section of CNN this morning On Thursday, Lemon and his co-hosts discussed GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s proposal that candidates over the age of 75 take competency tests.

Lemon said that “this age talk makes me uncomfortable,” but added, “Nikki Haley is not in her prime. Sorry if a woman is considered in her prime, she’s in her 20s and 30s and maybe in her 40s. “

Harlow then stopped him.

“Wait,” Harlow said. “Good for what?”

“It depends. It’s like Prime if you look it up. If you google ‘when is a woman in her prime’ it says ’20s, 30s and 40s’.”

The Daily Beast first reported that Lemon would be absent from a planned cast for Monday’s show. While the publication reported that there were discussions about Lemon’s future, it was questioned by a source at the network, who suggested it was his own decision. Thursday’s incident, which was widely criticized, including by Haley, led to Lemon being chased by paparazzi and making the cover of the New York Post. It also focuses more on the chemistry of the co-hosts, which is seen as a key feature to make any morning show work. Lemon hosted his own late-night show, heavier in analysis and opinion, from 2014 until last fall when he left for the morning show gig.

The revamped morning show was a hallmark of Licht’s plans to revitalize the network. Lemon, Collins and Harlow debuted as hosts on the revamped morning show in November, but the show has fallen behind its cable news competitors in terms of total viewership. However, network executives said it takes time to build an audience in a highly competitive part of the day.