The View Hosts Defend Don Lemon’s ‘Prime’ Comments, Slam Nikki Haley For ‘Ageist’ Attacks on Trump, Biden

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon had some unlikely allies on ABC’s The View on Thursday when a couple of the show’s co-hosts mentioned him by name.

While discussing some contradictory (and possibly hypocritical) campaign tactics used by GOP presidential candidate and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, the View crew pointed out she was touting her younger age as a plus compared to former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, even saying her parents are “up in age” and “there is a decline.”

But when it came to Lemon’s comments last February, when he famously said that as a woman in her 50s, “Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime,” Haley lashed out, calling Lemon a “Sexist middle-aged CNN” anchor. Lemon apologized the same day and was fired by CNN two months later following another controversial moment during an interview with Vivek Ramaswamy.

On Thursday, co-host Sunny Hostin pointed to Lemon’s comments to illustrate Haley’s ageist tactics:

The other thing that I find her to be hypocritical about is she went off because Don Lemon said that she was older, that she was past her prime. This is what she says on Saturday. In New Hampshire, “My parents are up in age, and I love them. But when you see them hit a certain age, there is a decline. That’s a fact.” She’s talking about her own parents. Then she says, you know, she starts attacking Joe Biden and Donald Trump on their age. She’s an ageist, yet she was offended when someone talked about her age. Hypocrite!

Co-host Sara Haines added, “But remember, you’re calling a man old at 80 and a woman at 50.” Co-host Joy Behar wanted to go back to Lemon’s comments:

Behar: I have to defend Don Lemon a little bit because I don’t think he meant that he thinks a woman is over the hill. A woman is perceived as over the hill.

Haines: But that’s my point, is that the world perceives 50 as you’ve crossed over, and 80, those men are still kickin’ it.

During his comments in February 2023, Lemon said: “I’m not saying I agree with that” and “Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying what the facts are. Google it. Everybody at home, when is a woman in her prime? It says 20s, 30s and 40s. I’m just saying Nikki Haley should be careful about saying that politics are not in their prime, and they need to be in their prime when they serve. She would not be in her prime according to Google or whatever it is.”

Watch the video above via ABC.