CNN’s Don Lemon has apologized that presidential candidate Nikki Haley shouldn’t promote competency tests for senior politicians because she’s “past her prime” as a woman.
Opinion poll
Has Don Lemon passed its prime?
- Yes 776 votes
- No 38 votes
Lemon made his comments on Thursday’s episode of CNN This Morning, as he and co-hosts Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow discussed Nikki Haley’s suggestion that politicians aged 75 and older should face mental competency tests. Haley made the suggestion during a speech Wednesday announcing her candidacy for president.
Lemon, who at 56 is five years older than Haley, 51, said the politician should approach the issue cautiously because “a woman is in her prime in her 20s and 30s and maybe in her 40s.”
He has been accused of being sexist and has since responded to the backlash with a tweet saying: “The reference I made this morning to a woman’s ‘best time’ was clumsy and irrelevant, as did colleagues and Relatives have pointed this out and I regret it.
“A woman’s age doesn’t define her personally or professionally. I have countless women in my life who prove that every day,” he added.
Haley herself responded to Lemon’s comments, saying, “It’s always the liberals who are the most sexist.”
The incident is just Lemon’s latest comment, which raises eyebrows. Weeks ago, he asked a female co-host, who had stumbled over her words, if she had “mommy brains,” and recently she was spotted on camera repeatedly interrupting Collins.
Nikki Haley is 51 years old. Don Lemon hinted that she was past her prime as a woman
According to The Daily Beast, Lemon’s comments sparked an uproar among CNN staffers about another questionable incident involving the ailing host.
“There were rumors about mansplaining,” said a source, “and how long would you have to talk to women before there’s a change.”
Numerous employees have also complained internally about Lemon’s show, the Daily Beast reported.
During the morning show, Lemon began his comments by saying that discussing the merits of age in politics was “the wrong path,” and then quickly went down that path.
‘She says, guys, you know, politicians are suddenly not in their prime. Nikki Haley is not in her prime. Sorry if a woman is in her prime in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s,” he said.
Harlow interrupted Lemon and asked, “What are you talking about? Prime for what?’ before Lemon pressed hard and insisted, ‘That’s not my opinion.’
‘It depends. It’s just like, prime. if you look it up If you google “what is a woman in her prime,” there will be 20’s, 30’s, 40’s,” he said. “I’m not saying I agree with that. So, I think she has to be careful when she says that politicians are in their prime.
“Are you talking prime for, eh, birth? Or are you talking about becoming president?’ asked Harlow.
“Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just stating the facts,” Lemon replied. ‘Google it. Everyone home, when is a woman in her prime? It says 20s, 30s and 40s.”
“All I’m saying is Nikki Haley should be careful when she says politics isn’t in its prime and they need to be in their prime when they serve. She wouldn’t be in her prime according to Google or whatever.’
Throughout the interaction, Lemon directed all of his comments to Harlow while Collins stayed out of the fight.
Later during the show, when CNN podcast host Audie Cornish came along and challenged Lemon’s point of view, he refused to back down.
“The idea of Prime you google the internet, it’s about sexual and reproductive Prime, it’s not really about mental health and aging.” said Cornish. “Nobody’s going to look at Nikki Haley and say, ‘Is she in her prime or not?'”
Lemon replied, “Eh, I don’t know.”
Viewers quickly joined Collins and Harlow in their outrage.
“More classic and egregious sexism from #DonLemon,” wrote comedian and podcaster Pete Dominick on Twitter. “Just a few weeks ago he said @secupp had ‘mommy brains’. Today he said #nikkihaley is ‘past her prime’ as a woman. Poppi tries to dig him out of his ditch and NO! Bank this guy IMMEDIATELY.
He then listed the ages of a number of prominent female politicians when they first ran for office, including Hillary Clinton at 61.
“Pelosi was first elected at 47, Elizabeth Warren was 70, Geraldine Ferraro is 49, Kamala Harris is 55, Stacey Abrams is 49.”
Fox News anchor David Asman also chimed in, noting that Margaret Thatcher “began her historic 11-year career as Prime Minister at the age of 54”.
Journalist Janice Dean wrote: “And @CNN wonders why they’re bleeding viewers. And @NikkiHaley wonders why they are bleeding bystanders.
Another Twitter put it more succinctly: “Don Lemon is past his prime time.”
Lemon made his comments on tonight’s episode of CNN This Morning alongside co-hosts Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow
Don Lemon asked SE Cupp if she lost her train of thought because of “Mama Brain”.
Back in December, Lemon reportedly “yelled at” Collins after he accused her of interrupting him multiple times during the show.
Collins ran off the set in tears on Dec. 8 after Lemon yelled at her in front of the TV crew and her other co-host, Poppy Harlow, sources told the New York Post.
CNN boss Chris Licht, who vowed to overhaul CNN since acquiring the outlet last year and then announced shocking layoffs, was reportedly stunned by the news and told Lemon to take the next day off to “cool off.” “.
“Don yelled at Kaitlan, who was visibly upset and ran out of the studio,” the source told the New York Post.
Then, after a particularly icy on-screen reunion following reports Lemon had yelled at Collins, she was sent to Washington DC to cover President Biden’s State of the Union address.
Harlow praised the youngest CNN White House correspondent when Lemon awkwardly interrupted to talk about the importance of fact-checking.
Harlow went on to say, “That’s why we have Kaitlan Collins on the Hill fact-checking in real time,” while Lemon continued, “I just can’t believe we’re here,” forcing producers to shut down music for commercial breaks to make his point.
Although CNN This Morning has only been on the air for three months, its clutter has made it a ratings disaster.
Lemon, 56, went “ballistic” towards staffers who highlighted the argument with Collins, according to RadarOnline – with the presenter claiming she “interrupted” him during a broadcast in December.
Back in September, Lemon was also accused of misogyny after she asked a Republican panelist, SE Cup, 43, if she suffered from “mommy brain” after losing her train of thought.
During the show, Cupp was debating the future of the Republican Party when she started tripping over her words and forgot where she was going.
“The ideas are not popular with Republicans,” Cupp said, discussing the fiery MAGA beliefs. “Thirteen percent of Republicans want a total ban on abortion. Seventy percent of Republicans want . . . sorry,” she said, forgetting where she was going and falling silent.
Lemon chimed in, trying to complete her thought, then commenting on Cupp’s mistake.
“Have you lost your train of thought? I do this all the time,” Lemon said.
Cupp replied, “I did,” and then proceeded to finish her idea.
“A majority of Republicans oppose book bans,” she continued. “A majority of Republicans think that talking about race in school and learning about racism is a good thing. Majorities of Republicans aren’t where today’s MAGA Republicans are going and all the things they keep talking about, which begs the question: what the hell are they thinking?
Rather than reacting to the idea, Lemon continued to harp on Cupp.
“Is it fair to say that because I’m not a mom, but is it mom’s brain?” he asked.
Cupp seemed confused by the question as the panel fell silent for a moment.
“No,” she finally said, drawing out the word, “I just forgot what I was going to say.”
The best of the worst from Don Lemon
Was Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 Swallowed by a Black Hole? – During the reporting of the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 in 2014, Don Lemon asked a panel of experts if it was possible that the Boeing jet was swallowed by a black hole:
“People tell me, why don’t you talk about the possibility — and I’m just saying it — that something strange happened to that plane, something that we can’t understand?” he asked.
“What if it was something we don’t really understand? A lot of people have been asking about it, about black holes and so on and so on and so on and all these conspiracy theories,” he continued, adding comparisons to the Bermuda Triangle and the TV show Lost.
Mary Schiavo, inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation, said the theories were unlikely:
‘Well it is. A small black hole would suck our entire universe, so we know it’s not. The Bermuda Triangle is often weather. And Lost is a TV show,” she said.
Why didn’t you just bite his penis? – During an interview with Bill Cosby, sexual assault accuser Joan Tarshis, Lemon asked her why she didn’t stop him from raping her by biting his penis:
“You know, there are ways not to do oral sex if you don’t want to,” he said.
“I was kind of stoned at the time, and honestly, it didn’t even cross my mind. Now I wish it had,” Tashis said.
‘To the right. You mean using teeth, right?’ Lemon asked, ‘As a weapon.’
“Ouch,” said Tashis, “no, that didn’t occur to me.”
Pull your pants up, black people – When Lemon discussed Bill O’Reilly’s controversial comments in 2013 that unmarried black women had to stop having children and that inner-city schools had to enforce discipline, Lemon argued that the Fox News host’s plans raising blacks is not as bold as it should be.
“It doesn’t go far enough in my opinion,” Lemon said, “walking around with your ass showing your underwear isn’t okay. In fact, it comes from prison. When they take prisoners’ belts so they can’t make a weapon. And then that evolved into what role each prisoner would have in sex between men and men in prison.”
Lemon went on to explain that black people should stop using the N-word and stop littering.