As RedState reported earlier, the “punishment” for CNN’s Don Lemon over sexist comments he made last Thursday about GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley is that he will undergo “formal training” and will continue to “listen and learn” (whatever that means) according to CNN CEO Chris Licht.
Also, Lemon – who has kinda sorta “apologized” for what was said – will return to CNN’s “This Morning” program on Wednesday, presumably alongside his co-hosts Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow.
Independent journalist and podcaster Megyn Kelly read about the struggling network’s plans for Lemon and was not impressed, tweeting, “What a joke. ‘Formal training’ on what? How to be a decent human being? Good luck.”
Later, Kelly, who last week said she was launching her own investigation into Lemon’s history of demeaning and/or sexist comments towards colleagues and public figures, posted a mini-thread in which she shared “helpful” tips for Lemon as his “formal training” is set to begin:
Day 1 of Don Lemon’s “formal training” on how not to be a misogynist. Let’s help!
1. Women are not damaged goods when they hit 40.
2. Rape victims don’t need your lecture on how to respond to their rape.
3. Women forgetting a fact do not have “mommy brain.” They’re, um… human.— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) February 21, 2023
4. Screaming at your female co-anchor bc she interrupted you to the point where she runs away is considered rude & unprofessional.
5. 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 douchebaggery.— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) February 21, 2023
6. Defending sexism w/ “some of my best friends are” (in the group I attacked) wld not excuse racism & it doesn’t excuse sexism.
7. “I’m going to continue to be me” is not an acceptable plan when “me” loathes women.
8. When under fire for misogyny, try to at least look/act sorry— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) February 21, 2023
I was aware of most of the issues Kelly alluded to in her tweets, but the second one where she said “Rape victims don’t need your lecture on how to respond to their rape” got my attention. So I did some digging and it turns out that Lemon did indeed do exactly that during one very awkward and inappropriate exchange with one of Bill Cosby’s accusers in 2014.
The Washington Post wrote about it at the time. I won’t include the full transcript after a certain point but you’ll get the picture anyway:
DON LEMON: Can I ask you this, because — and please, I don’t mean to be crude, okay?
JOAN TARSHIS: Yeah.
LEMON: Because I know some of you — and you said this last night, that he — you lied to him and said “I have an infection, and if you rape me, or if you do — if you have intercourse with me, then you will probably get it and give it to your wife.”
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TARSHIS: Right.
LEMON: And you said he made you perform oral sex.
TARSHIS: Right.
LEMON: You — you know, there are ways not to perform oral sex if you didn’t want to do it.
TARSHIS: Oh. Um, I was kind of stoned at the time, and quite honestly, that didn’t even enter my mind. Now I wish it would have.
LEMON: Right. Meaning the using of the teeth, right?
TARSHIS: Yes, that’s what I’m thinking you’re —
LEMON: As a weapon.
Lemon, who has said before that he experienced sexual abuse as a child, later issued an apology, not for what he said but for making people feel he was being insensitive to the alleged victim.
Relatedly, there’s still no word yet from Chris Licht – nor will their likely be any at all – on CNN legal and national security analyst Asha Rangappa’s equally offensive comments on Haley in which the former FBI agent went full birther in trying to find out if Nikki was indeed Haley’s middle name.
Rangappa and other prominent racial arsonists on the left – including some like Rangappa herself who also don’t go by their first names – have launched a campaign to discredit Haley by falsely alleging she’s tried to hide her Indian heritage for decades for political gain.
As for Lemon, we’ll keep you posted on further developments, including his return to the show on Wednesday as well as Kelly’s promised investigation into his past behavior, which sounds very intriguing. As always, stay tuned.
Related: The Even Bigger Scandal in the Don Lemon ‘Past Her Prime’ Controversy
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