Don Lemon says he regrets comments about women in his “prime” after backlash from Nikki Haley and others

Don Lemon expressed regret for comments he made on CNN Thursday morning that drew backlash from GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley and others, as well as pushback from one of Lemon’s own co-hosts.

In the segment, Lemon and co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins were talking about Haley’s proposal that candidates over 75 take a skills test that takes their age into consideration.

“People who talk about age make me uncomfortable,” Lemon said. “I think going down is the wrong road. He says that the people, politicians or anything else are not in their prime. Nikki Haley is not in her prime, sorry, when a woman is supposed to be in her prime in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.”

“Wait,” Harlow said. “What is prime for?”

“It depends. It’s just like prime, if you look it up. If you Google, ‘When is a woman in her prime, it will say, ’20s, 30s and 40s.’

Harlow replied, “40s. So I got another decade.”

Lemon added, “I don’t agree with that.”

Haley blasted the comment, writing on Twitter, “Liberals can’t stand the idea of ​​competency tests for older politicians to make sure they can work. BTW it’s always liberals who are the most sexist.” Of course, the competency test wouldn’t just apply to say Joe Biden, but Haley’s GOP rival, Donald Trump. He hinged part of his campaign on the idea that the country should be led by the next generation. Haley Numerous other critics of Lemon’s comments went on to retweet.

In a Twitter post Thursday afternoon, Lemon wrote, “The reference I made this morning about a woman ‘priming’ was inappropriate and irrelevant, as colleagues and loved ones have pointed out, and I regret it. A woman’s age does not define her personally or professionally. There are countless women in my life who prove that every day.