Don Lemon faced backlash after claiming former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley isn’t ‘in her prime’ — read more
An on-air blunder. Don Lemon faced backlash after publicly dissing Nikki Haley on CNN — and was subsequently benched from multiple broadcasts.
The 56-year-old newscaster made headlines on February 16 after making a sexist comment about Haley’s age. While discussing the 51-year-old former governor of South Carolina’s bid for the presidency on CNN This Morning, Lemon claimed that Haley is past her “prime.”
“She says people, politicians are not in their prime,” he said, referring to the former United Nations Ambassador’s idea to implement “mental competency tests” for political leaders over the age of 75. “Nikki Haley is not in her prime, sorry. A woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s, 30s and maybe her 40s.”
Cohost Poppy Harlow asked her colleague to clarify his stance, questioning whether he meant Haley was beyond her “prime for childbearing” or “prime for being president.
