what did don lemon say about women and aging

Don Lemon sparked major controversy in February 2023 with remarks about women and aging during a CNN This Morning segment discussing Nikki Haley's presidential run and her push for age limits on politicians.

The Exact Comments

Lemon argued Haley, then 51, wasn't "in her prime," stating: "When a woman is considered to be in her prime [is] in her 20s, 30s, and maybe 40s. That's not according to me... If you Google 'when is a woman in her prime,' it will say generally 20s, 30s, and 40s."

His co-hosts, Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, immediately pushed back—Harlow said, "What are you talking about?"—calling out the sexism on air.

Backlash and Apologies

The clip went viral, drawing accusations of misogyny and ageism from viewers, feminists, and media critics. Forums like Reddit erupted with debates, some users mocking Lemon's Google claim while others defended it as "society's view."

Lemon issued a tweet apology: "The reference I made to a woman's 'prime' this morning was inartful and irrelevant... A woman's age doesn't define her either personally or professionally." He followed with an internal CNN call apology, saying women of any age can achieve anything, though some staff called it tone-deaf.

"I believe women of any age can do anything they set their minds to." – Don Lemon's internal apology

Broader Context

This fit a pattern of Lemon's blunt style, but experts like Northeastern's humanities profs noted it reinforced stereotypes harming older women's careers—AARP polls show two-thirds of women over 50 face age bias.

In a 2024 interview, Lemon clarified he was quoting "society," not personal belief, and criticized Haley's age stance as hypocritical given figures like Trump.

Psych research counters his point: Older adults often excel emotionally, focusing on positives and perspectives better than youth.

Public Reactions

• Critics : Labeled it sexist; Smith College president tied it to "lookism" in workplaces.

• Defenders : Some said it reflected beauty standards or dating app data, not Lemon's invention.
• Memes/Trends : YouTube roasts and TikToks amplified it, with Over50tv calling out media ageism.

No major updates since; Lemon left CNN later in 2023 amid other controversies. TL;DR : Lemon claimed (citing Google) women peak in 20s-40s, faced backlash, apologized twice—story highlights ongoing age/gender debates in media.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.