CNN’s Don Lemon is no stranger to controversy.
In 2014, he suggested missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was sucked into a black hole.
In 2015, he claimed he needed more information before commenting on a school altercation concerning a black student — despite viral video profiling the event.
In 2016, he inappropriately commented on Kathy Griffin’s “nice rack.”
Between 2016 and 2020, he promoted false anti-Trump conspiracy theories.
Between 2020 and 2022, he promoted Fauci, the FDA, the CDC and the Biden administration’s lockdown and vaccine mandate policies.
However, despite being moved from prime time by the newer CNN CEO last year, Lemon stepped into it again Thursday morning while discussing Nikki Haley’s recent announcement to run for president in 2024.
Lemon received an on-air rebuke from his co-host Poppy Harlow after he suggested that women have a “prime” age. Daily Caller reporter Kaitlan Collins was also a part of the discussion.
Prompting the discussion on age was Nikki Haley’s presidential run announcement speech in which she questioned Biden’s (and perhaps Trump’s) fitness to run due to their age. Haley also suggested a mandatory competency test for politicians 75 and older.
Lemon took issue with Haley’s suggestion, saying, “This whole talk about age makes me uncomfortable. I think it’s the wrong road to go down. She says people, you know, politicians are suddenly not in their prime. Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime. Sorry, when a woman is considered to be in her prime in 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.”
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Co-host Poppy Harlow immediately pushed back on Lemon’s comment.
“What are you talking— wait,” Harlow said with surprise.
Lemon pushed back, “That’s not according to me,” Lemon said.
Harlow did not feel obliged to let Lemon off so easy. She pressed, “Prime for what?”
Lemon stumbled and awkwardly tried to support his assertion by citing Google. He said, “It depends, it’s just like, prime. If you look it up, if you Google ‘when is a woman in her prime’ it’ll say 20s, 30s and 40s.”
Harlow hurled a gentle rebuke wrapped in sarcasm to Lemon: “Forties! Oh I got another decade.”
Lemon tried to temper his comment by stating, “I’m not saying I agree with that. So I think she has to be careful about saying that, you know, politicians are in their prime.”
Harlow pushed back again: “Are you talking about prime for, like, childbearing? Or are you talking about prime for being president?”
Lemon retreated by turning again to his source Google:
“Don’t shoot the messenger. I’m just saying what the facts are. Google it. Everybody at home, when is a woman in her prime? It says 20’s, 30s and 40s. I’m just saying, Nikki Haley should be careful about saying that politics are not in their prime, and that 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.”
Nikki Haley is the second person to officially announce their bid to become the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
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