CNN host Don Lemon issued an apology on Friday and says he “did not mean to offend anyone” by telling his audience that women over the age of 40 are ‘past their prime.’ Lemon made the comments in a segment about 2024 presidential hopeful Nikki Haley, suggesting the 51-year-old was too old for the campaign trail. Lemon has since taken fire from viewers, his colleagues at CNN, and Haley herself.
“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,” Lemon wrote on his Twitter account. “A woman’s age doesn’t define her either personally or professionally. I have countless women in my life who prove that every day.”
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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 (@donlemon) February 16, 2023
Lemon and his cohorts, Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, were presenting a segment on Nikki Haley. Haley, who has repeatedly called for a “generational change” in politics, took a swipe at Joe Biden and Donald Trump this week by suggesting that candidates over the age of 75 be made to submit to a competency test. Lemon scoffed at Haley’s remarks.
“This talk about age makes me uncomfortable,” Lemon told his cohosts. “Nikki Haley is not in her prime, sorry. When a woman is considered to be in her prime, is her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.”
“Wait… prime for what?” Harlow interjected.
“Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying what the facts are. Google it.” Lemon replied. “Everybody at home, ‘when is a woman in her prime,’ it says 20s, 30s and 40s.”
Lemon broke into a cold sweat, hoping the search engine would bail him out.
“I’m just saying she 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.”
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Don Lemon: "Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime. Sorry, when a woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s, and 30s, and maybe 40s…"
Poppy Harlow: "Are you talking about prime for like child bearing?"
"Don’t shoot the messenger! I’m just saying what the facts are! Google it!" pic.twitter.com/n1HmtkWTpl
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 16, 2023
Haley herself responded to the embarrassing CNN segment on Twitter,
“Liberals can’t stand the idea of having competency tests for older politicians to make sure they can do the job. BTW it’s always the liberals who are the most sexist.”
Liberals can't stand the idea of having competency tests for older politicians to make sure they can do the job.
BTW it's always the liberals who are the most sexist. pic.twitter.com/PzpniQFLff
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) February 16, 2023
In a later Tweet, Haley responded to Lemon’s apology directly, 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+.”
Lemon’s apology received almost 6 million views on Twitter. The replies did not go easy on him.
“Oh Don. You weren’t even drunk for this one,” Brigitte Gabriel of Act for America wrote.
Oh Don. You weren't even drunk for this one.
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) February 16, 2023
“What does define a woman, Don?” former Trump advisor Jenna Ellis tweeted.
“Maybe he doesn’t know because he’s not a biologist?” Another commenter replied.
Maybe he doesn’t know because he’s not a biologist?
— Sue McLean (@dccwrules) February 17, 2023
Chris Licht, CEO of CNN Worldwide, called Lemon’s comments “unacceptable,” according to a report by the New York Times. Licht chastised Lemon, saying that his remarks “were upsetting, unacceptable and unfair to his co-hosts, and ultimately a huge distraction to the great work of this organization.”
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After being booted from his primetime slot last fall, Lemon’s show has struggled to maintain viewership. It is the lowest-rated program in CNN’s current lineup, according to Nielsen data.
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