Actress Patricia Heaton has returned fire on CNN’s Don Lemon after his gratuitous observation that former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) somehow isn’t “in her prime” as a woman over 50.
Heaton, 64, listed off her many accomplishments post-50 on a social media string that directly targeted her tormentor.
“Hey Ladies – @donlemon thinks women over 50 are past their prime! Let’s start #primetime and list some of the things we’ve accomplished in these glorious later years,” she challenged on Twitter last Friday.
Hey Ladies – @donlemon thinks women over 50 are past their prime! Let’s start #primetime and list some of the things we’ve accomplished in these glorious later years. I’ll start:
– Produced the comedy feature Unexpected (available on iTunes/AmazinPrime) #primetime— Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) February 17, 2023
On and on and on the Twitter string went as the Everybody Loves Raymond star listed her post-50 successes.
“Wrote and published the book Your Second Act: Inspiring Stories of Reinvention (Simon and Schuster) #primetime” she began. Then came “Created the Emmy- winning show PatriciaHeaton Parties for @FoodNetwork #primetime”
In all there were upwards of ten tweeted examples of her accomplishments before other women chimed in with their accomplishments including Jody Vance, who launched a weekly talk show “Steele and Vance” with Lynda Steele.
“Our audience celebrates our decades of journalism and life experience. We are in our PRIME,” Vance wrote.
Susan Peters listed her PBS cooking show The Family Dinner Table, “which features handed down family recipes & talks about important things that only happen around the family dinner table.”
“Senior staff for successful Governor and Senate races and setting up offices, started a podcast, restarted my media career,” Martha Zoller chimed in. “Chaired a charitable organization. And helped with 6 grandchildren, 4 children’s weddings … and more.”
File/ Patricia Heaton attends the 24th annual Critics’ Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 13, 2019 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)
As Breitbart News reported, last Thursday Lemon sparked an uproar from both the left and the right when he said that women lose their prime past the age of 40. He was speaking in response to Republican Nikki Haley taking President Joe Biden to task for his age.
“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.
CNN CEO Chris Licht rebuked Lemon on Friday for his observations.
“His remarks were upsetting, unacceptable, and unfair to his co-hosts, and ultimately a huge distraction to the great work of this organization,” Licht said.
Lemon has not been seen again on his regular show and is reportedly benched.