Poppy Harlow Leaves CNN Set Following Don Lemon’s Comments About Women ‘in Their Prime’
Poppy Harlow reportedly left the CNN set on Thursday, February 16 following tone-deaf comments from co-anchor Don Lemon on CNN This Morning.
The anchors were discussing Nikki Haley’s stated belief that politicians over 75 need “mental competency tests.” Lemon disagreed, effectively calling the newly announced Republican presidential candidate a hypocrite because she herself is “not in her prime.”
“This whole talk about age makes me uncomfortable,” Lemon, 56, said of Haley, 51. “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 their prime in 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.”
His intended meaning was questioned by Harlow, 40, and fellow co-host Kaitlan Collins, 30. Harlow looked on in disdain and disbelief as she asked if he meant those ages to be the prime “child-bearing” years. Lemon backtracked, saying not to “shoot the messenger,” though he was quoting no one. To make up for his snafu, he claimed women are considered to be “in their prime” in their 20s, 30s, and 40s according to Google.
“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 on-air. “Because she wouldn’t be in her prime according to, you know, Google.”
Don Lemon says Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime as a politician because she’s not in her 20’s, 30’s or 40’s. Holy shit. She’s only 51! Biden’s 80! This may be the dumbest thing ever said on CNN. And I love that he cited Google as his source: pic.twitter.com/l1CzTYlkjX
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) February 16, 2023
According to The New York Post, Harlow walked off the set after the tense exchange for a “well-timed” bathroom break and was joined by Collins, who has also had tension with Lemon in the past. In December, he screamed at her on air for interrupting him. A source told the outlet after today’s tension that issues between the three have “been smoldering for months” at the network, but new CEO Chris Licht has not stepped in.
“Licht isn’t doing anything about it,” the source claimed, adding that Lemon’s comments about Haley were brought up by staff in an informal Thursday meeting they call “Coffee with Chris.”
Paraphrasing the new boss’s comments, the source said he replied, “People say stupid things and that if it’s a trend then there’s recourse.”
A source close to Harlow cheekily told The Post when asked for comment, “As a woman in her prime, Poppy Harlow does use the bathroom, including on Thursday mornings.”
Another source told the outlet that Lemon’s acidic attitude on set is a continued issue.
“This ongoing situation is frustrating,” they said. “His comments were misogynistic and sexist.”
Lemon issued a public apology on Twitter just a few hours after his Haley comments.
“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,” he tweeted. “A woman’s age doesn’t define her either personally or professionally. I have countless women in my life who prove that every day.”
These snafus appear to be becoming a trend.
