On Thursday, CNN host Don Lemon made a comment directed at GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley, in which he said that she was not in her prime. He later regretted his remarks and called them “inartful and irrelevant.”
Haley had recently made comments about the need for yearly mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old, which Lemon criticized. During the broadcast, Lemon awkwardly explained that he had Googled when a woman was in her prime, and the search results said it was in her 20s, 30s, and 40s.
Haley recently declared her intention to run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, tweeted that”Liberals” are opposed to the concept of competency evaluations for older politicians to ensure that they can perform their duties. She is 51 years old.
Lemon argued that Haley should be careful about saying that politicians are not in their prime, as he believes that her comment could be perceived as ageist. Haley responded to Lemon’s comments, accusing him of being “sexist.”
Lemon later apologized for his comments, acknowledging that a woman’s age does not define her personally or professionally. He wrote on Twitter that he regretted his inartful and irrelevant reference to a woman’s prime. He also noted that he has countless women in his life who prove that every day. However, Lemon did not mention Haley in his tweet.
Last year, CNN revealed plans to overhaul its morning program, which involved Don Lemon transitioning from his prime-time hosting role to co-anchoring the show alongside Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins. Don Lemon had previously hosted “Don Lemon Tonight” in prime time for eight years and is one of CNN’s most prominent figures.
