Bumbling Don Lemon Forced To Apologize After Facing Backlash For Saying 51-Year-Old Presidential Hopeful Nikki Haley 'Isn't In Her Prime'
Feb. 16 2023, Published 3:09 p.m. ET
Don Lemon was forced to apologize after age-shaming the Republican politician Nikki Haley following her decision to put her hat in the 2024 presidential race, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Lemon faced backlash for saying the female politician "isn't in her prime" — despite being just 51 years old.
As RadarOnline.com reported, Lemon shocked his co-hosts Kaitlan Collins, 30, and Poppy Harlow, 40, when he made the outlandish remark, claiming the presidential hopeful is two to three decades past her prime.
“This whole talk about age makes me uncomfortable,” Lemon said to his CNN This Morning co-anchors on Thursday. “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 in her prime is in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.”
He continued to stick his foot in his mouth — even after Kaitlan and Poppy roasted him about the comment.
“Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying what the facts are,” Lemon attempted to explain. “Google it. Everybody at home, when is a woman in her prime? It says 20s, 30s and 40s.”
The already embattled CNN anchor let the word vomit flow.
“I’m just saying Nikki Haley should be careful about saying that politicians are not in their prime, and they need to be in their prime when they serve,” he said. “She would not be in her prime according to Google or whatever it is.”
After facing scrutiny at an already high-pressured time for the network, Lemon made a public apology.
"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 tweeted hours after his remarks. "A woman’s age doesn't define her either personally or professionally. I have countless women in my life who prove that every day."
However, his apology backfired, with Twitter users unloading on the problematic anchor.
"Please. This is your bosses making you apologize. You have done this before. Remember women’s sports? Yeah babe. Bye," one person tweeted. "Inartful, irrelevant... mostly inaccurate," responded Inside Edition reporter Alison Hall.
That's a lot of words to avoid typing "I'm sorry,'" shared another.
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This isn't a great look for Lemon, who is already under the thumb after "screaming" at his co-host Collins while accusing her of "interrupting" him during their broadcast on December 8.
As RadarOnline.com exclusively reported, Lemon had a second blowup on co-workers after a company newsletter highlighted his outburst on Collins.
"Don lost his mind internally and went ballistic at staffers after the CNN newsletter highlighted a story about him screaming," a well-placed insider," a well-placed insider told us on February 3.
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