When former South Carolina Republican Governor Nikki Haley announced she was running for president, she floated the idea of a mental competency test for politicians over the age of 75 to ensure they are up to the rigors of the job. At 78 years and 61 days, Joe Biden was the oldest president ever sworn in to office. GOP hopeful Donald Trump, meanwhile, would be pushing 79 on Inauguration Day should he win the 2024 election. Haley, for her part, is 51 years old, and it was clear she was trying to position herself as part of a new (and younger) generation.
This apparently didn’t sit well with Don Lemon. The CNN This Morning host caused quite a stir last week when he suggested that women over the age of 50 are past their prime. “All talk about age makes me uncomfortable, and I think that it’s the wrong road to go down,” he said on-air in the presence of his female colleagues – Kaitlan Collins, 30, and Poppy Harlow, 40. “She says people, you know, politicians are not in their prime. Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime. Sorry. When a woman is considered being in her prime is in her twenties and thirties and maybe forties.”
After the remarks, Lemon was absent from the show the rest of the week, and he was photographed frolicking in the sand on South Beach. CNN claimed the time off was pre-planned, but Lemon was reportedly forced to apologize to staff in a conference call and CEO Chris Licht later sent out a company-wide email saying the anchor has agreed to undergo “formal training.”
In Megyn’s view, the entire situation has been mishandled. On Tuesday’s program with Glenn Beck, she laid out an eight-point plan for how Lemon’s “formal training” should go.
How Does Don Lemon Still Have a Job?
After the run Lemon has had lately, you might be wondering how he is still employed. Megyn blamed poor leadership at CNN for him still being on the air. “Honestly, grow a pair,” she said. “They had pictures in the New York Post of Don Lemon in Miami and South Beach frolicking in the ocean… he just looked totally relaxed and happy.”
While most people in his position would likely be worried about their future, Megyn said that Lemon believes he is untouchable. Upon seeing the photos of his vacation, she couldn’t help but think, “that is the face of a black, gay male who is un-cancelable at CNN.” Those marked categories are “why he looks relaxed, it’s why he will not be fired, and it’s why he’s been out over his skis when it comes to women and other issues for a long, long time,” she added.
The Re-Education of Don Lemon
Misogynistic comments are nothing new for Lemon, which is why Megyn thinks the “formal training” is for naught. “Sending him to re-education camp… is so absurd,” she said. “I guess we just have to pretend that he’s going to learn how not to be a sexist at this camp.” Given CNN’s history with former employees, one has to wonder about the quality of the training. “Did they put Chris Cuomo through the camp? Did they put Jeff Zucker through the camp,” Megyn asked. “Because their camp sucks.”
With that in mind, Megyn had some advice for Licht, which she shared on Twitter over the weekend. Her “formal training on how not to be a misogynist” includes teaching the following tenants:
- Women are not damaged goods when they hit 40. (“That can take a whole day, that can take a whole while for him to let that sink in,” she quipped).
- Rape victims don’t need your lecture on how to respond to their rape.
- Women forgetting a fact does not mean they have “mommy brain.” They’re human.
- Screaming at your female co-anchor because she interrupted you to the point where she runs away is considered rude and unprofessional.
- Postponing an ad break to mansplain to said co-anchor in front of the audience how to properly conduct an interview is an act of – and this is a technical term – douchebaggery.
- Defending sexism with, ‘Some of my best friends or women,’ would not excuse racism, and it does not excuse sexism.
- ‘I am going to continue to be me’ – which is what he told the CNN newsroom when he was forced to call and apologize on Friday – is not an acceptable plan when ‘me’ is a guy who clearly loathes women.
- When under fire for misogyny, try to at least look and act sorry. Perhaps the orchestrated frolicking in the ocean picture with the shirt off could be postponed until the controversy is a little bit more in the rear view.
“There you go free of charge,” Megyn concluded. “There is my own re-education camp.”
You can check out Megyn’s full show with Glenn Beck by tuning in to episode 497 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.