Don Lemon, a journalist and host on CNN, has expressed regret over his comments regarding “women in their prime” during a segment on CNN’s morning show last Thursday (February 16).

Following the segment, Lemon took to Twitter to apologise for his remarks and stated that his comments were “inartful and irrelevant,” as colleagues and loved ones had pointed out.

He went on to emphasise that a woman’s age does not define her personally or professionally and acknowledged the countless women in his life who prove this every day.

Lemon’s comments came in response to Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s call for competency tests for politicians over 75 years old as part of her campaign launch earlier in the week.

CNN’s chairman, Chris Licht, opened his daily editorial call by saying that Lemon’s remarks, which were widely viewed as sexist and insensitive, had left him “disappointed”.

According to the New York Times, Licht told the CNN staff that “his remarks were upsetting, unacceptable and unfair to his co-hosts, and ultimately a huge distraction to the great work of this organisation”.

Lemon, who previously hosted a show in prime time at CNN, was tapped to host the network’s revamped morning programme last fall. Despite some critics viewing this as a demotion, Lemon insisted that he was looking forward to the new challenge.