(RepublicanWire.org) – Michelle Yeoh won “Best Actress” at the Oscars for her performance in “Everything Everywhere All At Once” on Sunday and appeared to throw serious shade at CNN host Don Lemon during her acceptance speech over his “past their prime” misogynistic comment aimed at Republican Nikki Haley.
“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, dream big, and dreams do come true,” the 60-year-old actress proclaimed after receiving a lengthy standing ovation as she walked to the podium to accept her award. “And ladies, don’t ever let anyone tell you you are ever past your prime. Never give up!”
In February, Lemon stirred up a hornets’ nest on social media and ticked off his female CNN colleagues, Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, after taking the offensive swipe at Haley.
“This whole talk about age makes me uncomfortable, I think it’s the wrong road to go down. She says people, you know, politicians or something are not in their prime. Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry. A woman is considered to be in their prime in [their] 20s and 30s and maybe 40s,” Lemon declared to his shocked co-anchors.
He then refused to back down after Harlow questioned him over his remarks, telling her to “look it up.”
After heavy pushback from his co-host, Lemon said in a statement that he regretted his “inartful and irrelevant” comments, which many saw as “sexist” and “misogynistic.”
He eventually had to issue an apology to staff as well in an emergency conference call. He was then absent from the next few shows and underwent some sort of sensitivity training at CNN.
“To my network, my colleagues, and our incredible audience – I’m sorry. I’ve heard you, I’m learning from you, and I’m committed to doing better. See you soon,” Lemon groveled.
His comments went viral and were hammered by both sides of the political aisle and by just about everyone on Twitter. It seems that the blowup caught Yeoh’s attention.
The actress has gained fame for performances in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Star Trek: Discovery.” But she took home an Oscar for her role as Evelyn Wang in “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” which also took the top prize as Best Picture. Jamie Lee Curtis won “Best Supporting Actress.”
Co-directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert won the “Best Director” award for “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” The movie also won “Best Film Editing” and “Best Screenplay.”
Yeoh was born in Malaysia and is the first Asian woman to win the “Best Actress” award.
After winning the award, Yeoh thanked the cast and crew of “Everything Everywhere All At Once” and dedicated the award to her mother, who was watching from at home in Malaysia.
She gave credit to “all the mums in the world”, calling them the “real superheroes.”
“Without them, none of us would be here tonight,” she declared. “She’s 84 and I’m taking this home to her.”
