‘For All the Little Boys and Girls Who Look Like Me: Michelle Yeoh Jabs Don Lemon’s ‘Past Her Prime’ Insult During Oscars Speech

Actress Michelle Yeoh appeared to take a subtle jab at CNN Don Lemon’s recent comment that women over 40 have passed their prime.

At the start of her speech, Yeoh first dedicated her award to “all the little boys and girls who look like me” and declared the moment a “beacon of hope.”

“For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof that dreams do come true,” said Yeoh as she accepted the award for Best Actress for her performance in Everything, Everywhere, All at Once.

“And ladies, don’t let anyone ever tell you that you are ever past your prime,” the 60-year-old Yeoh added, prompting thunderous applause from the audience.

Later in her speech, Yeoh dedicated her award to her mom and “all the moms in the world, because they are really the superheroes.”

“Without them, none of us would be here tonight,” she said to applause.

Michelle Yeoh accepts her #Oscar for Best Actress: "For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof that dreams do come true." https://t.co/ndiKiHfmID pic.twitter.com/pQN8nHDhCx

— Variety (@Variety) March 13, 2023

Last month, Don Lemon sparked ire from both the left and the right when he said women lose their prime past the age of 40 in response to Republican Nikki Haley blasting President Joe Biden 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.

CNN

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.”