‘It’s about trying to be better’: Don Lemon DEFENDS woke culture and claims ‘it is being aware of issues that have to do with women’ – just a month after he was forced to complete sensitivity training

CNN’s Don Lemon defended woke culture by saying it is about ‘being aware of issues that have to do with women’ a month after he claimed presidential candidate Nikki Haley was past her ‘prime’ because she was over the age of 40. 

On CNN’s This Morning show on Friday, Lemon has proven his sensitivity training has worked as he changed his tune toward women while discussing woke culture. 

‘[Woke culture] is about being aware, it’s about being aware of issues that have to do with minorities, the structure of the country, issues that have to do with women, issues that have to do with any marginalized community,’ he said. 

‘It’s about being aware of the structural injustices of society. It’s about trying to be better, not trying to cancel people.’ 

Although Lemon has shown support for women since the February debacle, and called for a female president, he may now be speaking to his haters who tried to get his ousted from the network after his comments about Haley. 

Female staffers issued CNN with an ultimatum after the comments, telling the media network that ‘every woman over 50 in America has taken this as a personal insult’ and that his vacation needed to become a ‘permanent one.’ 

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‘[Woke culture] is about being aware, it’s about being aware of issues that have to do with minorities, the structure of the country, issues that have to do with women, issues that have to do with any marginalized community,’ he said. ‘It’s about being aware of the structural injustices of society. It’s about trying to be better, not trying to cancel people’

As the war on woke continues, Lemon admitted he chastises his friends who use the word and advises them against it. 

‘I always tell my friends that use “woke,” and I’m like: “Don’t use that word,” he said on Friday. ‘There’s just certain words…it’s not a good look.’ 

Guest and co-host of The View, Alyssa Farah Griffin, said she doesn’t believe the war on woke-ness will last. 

‘I don’t think it’s going to last,’ Farah Griffin said. ‘It works in a Republican primary, but then we’re going to have, [in] the nature of our country, something is going to happen that’s require you to care and be attentive to social injustices. And then suddenly, it will once again its going to be in vogue to be woke.’ 

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis – who is expected to launch a presidential bid – was one of the first to declare a war on woke, telling his constituents the Sunshine State is where the ‘woke go to die’ and claimed it was a ‘mind virus.’ 

Former President Donald Trump also vowed to ‘end woke,’ as well as Haley, who claimed it was a ‘virus more dangerous than any pandemic.’ 

‘Woke has become – you remember that dress where you either saw it in blue or white?’ the Farah Griffin, a former Trump advisor, continued. ‘It means something to certain people. There’s a Merriam Webster’s definition of it, which is being in touch with and caring about social justice causes and actively involved in them. 

‘But to the other half of the country – let’s call it that – it means something completely different.’ Farrah went on to say it’s a ‘catch-all term.’ 

Last month, Lemon claimed presidential candidate Nikki Haley was past her ‘prime’ because she was over the age of 40 and had to undergo sensitivity training and was taken off-air for a few days over his comments

In February, Lemon was taken off the air briefly after he said Haley was too old to run for president, saying ‘a woman is in their prime in 20s and 30s and maybe 40s.’ 

Though Lemon kicked off his comments by saying discussing the merits of age in politics was ‘the wrong road to go down,’ he quickly went down that road.

‘She says people, you know, politicians are suddenly not in their prime. Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime. Sorry, when a woman is in their prime in 20s and 30s and maybe 40s,’ he said.

Harlow cut Lemon off, asking ‘What are you talking about? Prime for what?’ before Lemon pressed on while insisting ‘That’s not according to me.’

‘It depends. It’s just like, prime. If you look it up. If you Google ‘What is a woman in her prime’ it’ll say 20s, 30s, 40s,’ he said. ‘I’m not saying I agree with that. So, I think she has to be careful about saying that, you know, politicians are in their prime.’

‘Are you talking about prime for, like, childbearing? Or are you talking about prime for being president?’ Harlow asked.

‘Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying what the facts are,’ Lemon responded. ‘Google it. Everybody at home, when is a woman in her prime? It says 20s, 30s and 40s.’

‘I’m just saying Nikki Haley should be careful about saying that politics are not in their prime, and they need to be in their prime when they serve. She would not be in her prime according to Google or whatever it is.’

 He said Haley was too old to run for president, saying ‘a woman is in their prime in 20s and 30s and maybe 40s’

Throughout the interaction, Lemon directed all of his comments to Harlow, while Collins remained out of the fray.

The incident is just one of the latest eyebrow-raising comment from Lemon. Weeks before, he asked a female co-host who stumbled over her words whether she had ‘mommy brain,’ and has recently been seen on camera repeatedly interrupting Collins. 

He was forced to undergo sensitivity training, following the multiple problematic comments. 

CNN’s Chairman Chris Licht, who slammed Lemon’s remarks, sent a memo to staffers saying Lemon had agreed to participate in training and that he would be back shortly after, according to former anchor Brian Stelter.