‘He Loves His Mother’: ‘The View’ Hosts Defend Don Lemon After His Firing

The ladies of “The View” had a field day poking fun at Tucker Carlson after he parted ways with Fox News on Monday. But when CNN fired Don Lemon over his controversial comments about women, the hosts had a very different reaction. Lemon had made several derogatory remarks about women, including suggesting that a sexual assault accuser should have bitten Bill Cosby’s penis and insinuating that politician Nikki Haley was past her prime because she was over 50. He even asked panelist S.E. Cupp if she was suffering from “mommy brain.”

When co-host Whoopi Goldberg announced Lemon’s firing, her colleagues were quick to defend him. Sunny Hostin, who had worked with Lemon for 20 years, said she didn’t believe he was a misogynist and that he loved women, including her and Joy Behar. Sara Haines even joked that Lemon probably loved her too. The hosts were also quick to point out that Carlson’s firing was different from Lemon’s and that new management at CNN may have played a role in his departure.

This was a stark contrast to the hosts’ reaction to Carlson’s exit, which included Ana Navarro leading the audience in a chant of “Na-na-na-na, na-na na-na. Hey, hey, hey, goodbye.” Host Sunny Hostin even invoked God, saying that Carlson was responsible for the degradation of democracy in the country.

It’s clear that the ladies of “The View” have strong opinions about the media personalities they cover, and they’re not afraid to share them. But their differing reactions to Carlson and Lemon’s departures show that even they can be nuanced in their views.