Far-left basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar publicly backed CNN host Don Lemon after he made a sexist comment about women – a privilege he would not afford to a right-leaning figure.
On Thursday, Don Lemon sparked ire from both the left and the right when he said that women lose their prime past the age of 40 – an inarguably sexist comment that sent the internet into a tailspin. Lemon made the comment in response to Republican Nikki Haley blasting President Joe Biden for his age.
CNN moderator Don Lemon speaks to the crowd attending the Democratic Presidential Debate at the Fox Theatre on July 31, 2019, in Detroit, Michigan. 20 Democratic presidential candidates were split into two groups of 10 to take part in the debate sponsored by CNN held over two nights at Detroit’s Fox Theatre. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“This whole talk about age makes me uncomfortable. I think it’s the wrong road to go down. She says people, you know, politicians are something if not in their prime. Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry. A woman is considered to be in their prime in 20s and 30s and maybe 40s,” Lemon said
Lemon told his colleagues to “Google” what he meant when pressed.
“It depends, just like ‘prime,’ if you look it up. If you Google, ‘when is a woman in her prime,’ it’ll say 20s, 30s, and 40s,” Lemon said. “I’m not saying I agree with that. I think she has to be careful about saying that, you know, politicians aren’t in their prime.”
After a significant backlash online, Lemon apologized.
“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,” Lemon wrote. on Twitter. “A woman’s age doesn’t define her either personally or professionally. I have countless women in my life who prove that every day.”
In response, NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a far-left activist who believes in canceling non-leftist thinkers, said that Don Lemon’s heart was “in the right place.”
“Don – we know your heart was in the right place,” Abdul-Jabbar wrote. “I think you were referencing women being in their prime during their ‘reproductive years.’ Women are always in their ‘prime’ because, in my opinion, they get stronger, more courageous, and more beautiful as they get older.”
Don – we know your heart was in the right place.
I think you were referencing women being in their prime during their “reproductive years”.Women are always in their “prime” because in my opinion, they get stronger, more courageous and more beautiful as they get older.
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) February 16, 2023
It is highly doubtful that Abdul-Jabbar would give this charitable a response if Don Lemon were right-of-center on his politics. In a lengthy op-ed in The Hollywood Reporter (THR) back in 2020, the Lakers all-star argued that conservative celebrities do great harm to the fabric of society and should be silenced by Big Tech.
“Few are more beloved than J.K. Rowling, whose Harry Potter books make up the best-selling series in history. Yet her anti-trans tweets may not only damage the Potter and Fantastic Beasts franchises, they could end up tainting her entire literary legacy,” argued Abdul-Jabbar. “Even the stars of the movies — Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Eddie Redmayne — have spoken out against her position. John Cleese’s tone-deaf defense of Rowling left many fans bitterly disappointed, tarnishing his reputation.”
“It would be tempting to dismiss this self-mutilation as merely the triggering of overly sensitive ‘cancel culture.’ But some of this public braying does immediate harm to the foundation of society,” he continued. “Giuliani’s attacks on the integrity of the 2020 elections, without any substantive evidence, has undermined the democratic process. A post-election poll indicated that 77 percent of Republicans think Joe Biden won because of fraud. Since no credible proof has ever been shown, this opinion can only be held because they practice flat-earther, anti-vaxxer cult-think: Someone in authority told me what I want to hear, so it must be true.”