Don Lemon is under fire after a controversial comment about Megyn Kelly’s appearance. In his podcast, Clip Farmers, the former CNN anchor, aged 59, and his co-hosts were discussing the looks of ‘MAGA women’ when Lemon remarked that Kelly ‘looks trans’ and ‘chopped,’ a slang term for unattractive. He further commented that she ‘looks clockable,’ suggesting she doesn’t appear convincingly female and could easily be mistaken for transgender. Lemon criticized Kelly for being ‘too skinny’ and commented on her use of ‘a lot of hair pieces and makeup.’

The segment concluded abruptly when one of Lemon’s co-hosts awkwardly remarked, ‘Let’s end on that note.’ The clip quickly gained millions of views on social media, prompting widespread condemnation. Many critics labeled Lemon’s comment as hypocritical, noting his previous statements against transphobia. One user on X commented, ‘For someone who supports trans people, #DonLemon comfortably uses ‘trans’ as an insult,’ while another questioned, ‘Is the Left using ‘trans’ as an insult now?’ A third added, ‘Hypocrisy at its finest. When convenient, principles vanish.’

Some users questioned, ‘What happened to supporting trans rights?’ Despite the uproar, Lemon has consistently positioned himself as an advocate for LGBTQ rights. The openly gay journalist, who came out in 2011, delivered a passionate speech at the 2023 Son Awards. There, he denounced what he described as a surge of anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ legislation being proposed across the United States, stating, ‘Nearly half of those bills target our transgender and nonbinary siblings.’

He took aim at the banning of books that promoted gay marriage and other LGBT issues by Republican lawmakers. ‘These book bans are rooted in anti-Blackness and transphobia and queerphobia,’ said Lemon. He also defended transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney during the Bud Light boycott controversy, asking live on CNN, ‘So what if someone who is transgender drinks Bud Light? How does that affect you?’

Now, the same man once praised for championing inclusivity is being accused of undermining his own message. The controversy comes just over a year after Lemon’s dramatic exit from CNN, where he was fired in 2023 following multiple allegations of misogynistic behavior and on-air clashes with female colleagues. Neither Lemon nor Kelly has publicly commented on his latest remarks. The Daily Mail has reached out to Kelly’s representatives.

Earlier this month, Lemon took another swipe at Kelly as he told her to ‘get the [expletive] out of here’ for her comments about his husband Tim Malone. In September, Kelly had criticized the former CNN host for blaming recent political violence on white men as she had pointed out that his own spouse is white. After her statement, he doubled down on his claim as he insisted: ‘The greatest threat of political violence in America today is white men radicalized to the right.’

Lemon also brought up how Kelly was fired from NBC in 2019 for comments about blackface. She went on to start her own media company and is now a fierce critic of legacy news. Her show ranks consistently as one of the top three-rated news commentary podcasts in the country. Lemon’s Don Lemon Show, meanwhile, has been met with popularity since its rollout last year as well. He was fired from CNN in early 2023 weeks after making a controversial remark about then GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley, then aged 51.

He told co-anchors Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins: ‘Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime. Sorry, when a woman is in their prime in 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.’ ‘Are you talking about prime for, like, childbearing? Or are you talking about prime for being president?’ Harlow, 40, pushed back – leading Lemon to respond: ‘Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying what the facts are.’ He doubled-down: ‘Google it. Everybody at home, when is a woman in her prime? It says 20s, 30s and 40s.’ Lemon, 59, tied the knot with husband Malone, 40, a few months later at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. Kelly and Brunt wed in 2008.