Nikki Haley responds to comments from Don Lemon that she is past her 'prime'
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on recent attacks she has received from left-wing commentators
Embattled CNN host Don Lemon was spotted catching waves at the beach as he continues to catch flack from his own colleagues over his controversial comments.
Lemon and his partner Tim Malone were seen vacationing for an extended Presidents' Day weekend Friday in Miami Beach, Florida.
His fun in the sun was not long after he phoned in an apology to CNN staffers at the network's morning editorial call.
The host was even spotted talking on his cell phone while laying out under an umbrella. It's unclear whether he was speaking with CNN at the time.
Embattled CNN host Don Lemon and his partner Tim Malone were spotted vacationing in Miami Beach just hours after he phoned in his apology to his colleagues during an editorial call. (MEGA/GC Images)
Video obtained by the Daily Mail shows Lemon being asked point-blank if he has "trouble working with women," which was only met with silence before a resort staffer shoed away the paparazzi.
One CNN insider blasted the sun-soaked Lemon, telling Fox News Digital his appearance at the beach shortly after his apology shows "no genuine remorse."
"I just thought that when you work in the news, you should never be the news," the insider said.
CNN did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
Don Lemon, wearing sunglasses and a cap, and his partner Tim Malone were spotted laid out on the beach as the CNN host has been under fire for his controversial comments about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley. (MEGA/GC Images)
Critics speculated that his absence from Friday's broadcast of "CNN This Morning" was an indication that Lemon was benched for his comments.
However, Lemon was already scheduled to have Friday off as he indicated at the end of Thursday's show when he wished viewers to "have a great weekend." The viral backlash to his "prime" comments did not go into full gear until the show wrapped that day.
Friday morning's editorial phone conference at CNN began with Lemon issuing a groveling apology to his colleagues after facing accusations of sexism over his claim that Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley was past her "prime" due to her age.
"I’m sorry I don’t mean to hurt anyone. I did not mean to offend anyone," Lemon said Friday morning, Fox News Digital confirmed. "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."
Don Lemon appears to have noticed a photographer who spotted him on vacation in Miami Beach as he's engulfed in controversy. (MEGA/GC Images)
"When I make a mistake. I own it and I own this one as well. I understand why you are upset and disappointed," Lemon continued. "I was trying to make the point that no one’s age should define their ambition or potential for success and I was saying those comments to Nikki Haley."
Lemon's boss, CNN CEO Chris Licht, scolded the host, calling the comments "upsetting, unacceptable and unfair" to his morning show co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, calling it a "huge distraction."
Licht stressed it was "important to foster a culture of accountability at CNN" before handing it over to Lemon.
His apology did not sit well with network insiders.
"Most pathetic attempt at an apology I have ever heard in my life… It did not go over well," one CNN insider told Fox News Digital, calling Lemon a "f------g a--hole" for claiming that he must not be sexist simply because he has women in his life and compared it to a White person trying to downplay racists comments by insisting they have Black friends.
A source close to "CNN This Morning" blasted Lemon's phoned-in comments as an "all-about-me failed apology attempt."
"Female employees have been frustrated that he has never been reprimanded for a litany of sexist comments. His apology did little to ease those frustrations," a separate CNN insider told Fox News Digital.
On Thursday, Lemon knocked Haley for supporting "mandatory mental competency tests" for politicians over 75 years old, accusing her of being past her "prime."
Lemon cited "Google" to argue 51-year-old Haley will have an uphill battle in winning the presidency since women are only in their prime during their "20s, 30s and 40s."
"I’m just saying what the facts are. Google it. Everybody at home, when is a woman in her prime, it says 20s, 30s and 40s," he said. "And I’m just saying Nikki Haley should be careful about saying that politicians are not in their prime, and they need to be in their prime when they serve. Because she wouldn't be in her prime according to Google or whatever it is."
Lemon attempted to issue a mea culpa on Twitter following the intense backlash, writing, "The reference I made to a woman’s ‘prime’ this morning was inartful and irrelevant, as colleagues and loved ones have pointed out, and I regret it. A woman’s age doesn't define her either personally or professionally. I have countless women in my life who prove that every day."
DON LEMON'S CNN COLLEAGUES ANGERED BY ‘STUPID’ REMARKS ABOUT NIKKI HALEY BEING PAST HER PRIME
Tensions are brewing between "CNN This Morning" host Don Lemon and his female colleagues Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images for CNN)
In response, Haley mocked the TV host, writing, "To be clear, I am NOT calling for competency tests for sexist middle-aged CNN anchors; only for people who make our laws and are 75+."
One source told Fox News Digital that Licht was "pissed" at Lemon's "unforced error."
Lemon's comments even drew the attention of the White House as press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said she hadn't hit her prime yet.
Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this report.