While Don Lemon enjoys some time "off" from CNN's airwaves, one woman over 50 — you know, the "past their prime" kind, according to Lemon — decided to remind the embattled CNN host that there's no limit to what a woman can do whether he thinks she meets his criteria for "prime" or not.
"Hey Ladies," tweeted actress and outspoken conservative Patricia Heaton following Lemon's on-air remarks that stunned his co-hosts into silence and resulted in his unplanned "break" from the show that carried into Monday. "Don Lemon thinks women over 50 are past their prime!" Heaton added. "Let’s start #primetime and list some of the things we’ve accomplished in these glorious later years," she said before kicking things off.
In a thread enumerating just some of her post-50 accomplishments, it sure doesn't seem like Heaton is someone who is past her "prime."
Created the Emmy- winning show PatriciaHeaton Parties for @FoodNetwork #primetime
— Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) February 17, 2023
Produced and starred in the sitcom Carol’s Second Act for CBS. #primetime
— Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) February 17, 2023
Read the Bible all the way through! #primetime
— Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) February 17, 2023
Starred in the @ABCNetwork hit show @TheMiddle_TV #primetime
— Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) February 17, 2023
Starred with Tony Shalhoub, the late great Chris Welch and @TheRealAnnaCamp in The Scene by @TheresaRebeck at @2STNYC
— Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) February 17, 2023
Produced and starred in Mom's Night Out @MNOmovie with @sarahdrew for @AFFIRMFilms #primetime
— Patricia Heaton (@PatriciaHeaton) February 17, 2023
No big deal, then. Just an Emmy, a bestselling book, starring in multiple hit productions, developing projects to help others achieve their dreams, giving back to those less fortunate around the world, being a mom, deepening her faith, and generally having a grand ol' time.
In fact, it seems like Heaton has done more past what Lemon said was a woman's "prime" than he's done...maybe ever? It's hard to believe that playing Debra Barone opposite Ray Romano on Everybody Loves Raymond — and picking up back-to-back Emmys along the way — was something of just an opening act for Heaton.
It's worth noting, for the scorekeepers at home, that — per IMDB — Heaton's supposedly post-"prime" award shelf has more on it than Lemon's.
According to Lemon, though, the early 2000s marked the end of Heaton's "peak" years and it was supposed to be curtains for her...except it wasn't. At all. As Heaton noted, in a typical happy warrior manner, her "glorious later years" have brought even more awards, adventures, starring roles, bestselling books, and entertainment for millions of Americans.