Don Lemon Apologizes for Saying Women at Nikki Haley’s Age Not ‘In Their Prime’

CNN (Left bias) host Don Lemon apologized for saying Thursday morning that women over 50, like Republican 2024 presidential candidate Nikki Haley, were not in their “prime.” 

What Lemon Said: Responding to Haley’s calls for “mental competency tests” for older politicians, Lemon said, “This whole talk about age makes me uncomfortable. I think it’s the wrong road to go down. She says people, you know, politicians or something are not in their prime. Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime. Sorry. A woman is considered to be in their prime in 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.” When CNN This Morning co-host Poppy Harlow pushed back, Lemon deferred to Google, adding, “I’m not saying I agree with that.” 

The Response: Lemon’s remarks were widely criticized. In a fundraising email, Haley wrote, “BTW it’s always the liberals who are the most sexist.” CNN chairman Chris Licht reportedly called Lemon’s words “upsetting, unacceptable, and unfair to his co-hosts” in a Friday morning editorial call. Some reportedly called for CNN to fire Lemon.

Lemon’s Apology: In a Thursday afternoon tweet, the CNN host wrote that he regretted the remarks, which he said were “inartful and irrelevant,” adding, “A woman’s age doesn't define her either personally or professionally.”

For Context: This is not Lemon’s first controversy since losing his prime-time slot at CNN. In December, he reportedly screamed at a co-host off-camera and drew criticism for arguing that the U.S. men’s soccer team deserved more pay than the women’s team.

How the Media Covered It: Coverage was widespread across the spectrum, sometimes including direct criticism from media figures.