Don Lemon attacked Megyn Kelly with one vicious insult that backfired in his face
Don Lemon has spent years on CNN before being fired.
He’s been desperately trying to stay relevant ever since.
And Don Lemon made one stunning comment about Megyn Kelly that exposed his massive hypocrisy.
Fired CNN host weaponizes transgender identity as insult against conservative women
Don Lemon appeared on his struggling podcast "Clip Farmers" when the conversation turned to mocking conservative women.
His co-hosts John Cotter and Chris Miglioranzi asked if former Fox News host Megyn Kelly was "chopped" — slang for unattractive.
Lemon didn't understand the term at first, asking for clarification.
When his co-host explained it meant "not hot," Lemon agreed immediately.¹
"Yeah, she's chopped," Lemon said. "I don't know, the whole MAGA look… It's too much."²
Then Lemon crossed a line that left even his co-hosts stunned.
"I think she looks trans," Lemon declared. "She looks clockable."³
The term "clockable" is transgender slang for when someone can be identified as transgender rather than passing as their chosen gender.
Lemon's co-hosts had to look up the definition on their phones to explain it to viewers.⁴
There's no indication Kelly is transgender – literally none.
She hasn't addressed Lemon's attack and didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
The video racked up over one million views on social media as conservatives exposed Lemon's hypocrisy.
LGBTQ ally suddenly uses transgender identity as weapon against political opponent
Lemon built his media career as an outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ community.
He defended transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney during the Bud Light controversy in 2023.
"So what if someone who is transgender drinks Bud Light?" Lemon asked at the time. "How does that affect you?"⁵
Lemon characterized conservative book restrictions in schools as "rooted in anti-blackness and transphobia and queerphobia."⁶
He championed bills allowing biological males to compete in women's sports and access women's spaces.
The Left has spent years insisting you can never tell if someone is transgender and that using "trans" as a descriptor is offensive.
Now one of their most prominent voices just weaponized it as an insult against a conservative woman.
"For a man who praises trans people, Don Lemon sure feels comfortable using trans as an insult," one social media user posted.⁷
"The Left is using 'Trans' as an insult now?" another wondered. "Hypocrisy at its finest. When it's convenient, principles fly out the window."⁸
Conservative commentator Charles Gasparino summed it up perfectly: "Don Lemon commenting on how women look? Peak absurdity."⁹
Pattern of misogyny ended CNN career
This isn't Lemon's first rodeo attacking women's appearances.
CNN fired him in April 2023 after a Variety investigation detailed years of misogynistic behavior toward female colleagues.¹⁰
The report revealed Lemon sent threatening text messages to co-anchor Kyra Phillips in 2008 after she was chosen over him for a coveted Iraq assignment.
Phillips received two anonymous texts warning she had "crossed the line" and would "pay for it."¹¹
CNN traced the messages back to Lemon and pulled him from co-anchor duties after a human resources investigation.¹²
The Variety report documented how Lemon called a female producer fat to her face, mocked Nancy Grace on air, and questioned whether Soledad O'Brien was actually Black because he resented her hosting the "Black In America" series.¹³
Just months before his firing, Lemon told viewers that Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley wasn't "in her prime" at age 51.
"A woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s," Lemon declared on CNN This Morning in February 2023.¹⁴
Kelly herself called Lemon "sexist" and a "misogynist" at the time, questioning why CNN hadn't fired him yet.¹⁵
CNN eventually did terminate Lemon, though the network cited "larger issues at play" rather than specifying the misogyny allegations.¹⁶
Failed reboot reveals nothing changed
After his CNN firing, Lemon attempted to rebuild his career with a show on Elon Musk's X platform.
That lasted exactly one interview before Musk canceled the show after Lemon asked uncomfortable questions about drug use and political views.¹⁷
Now Lemon hosts the obscure "Clip Farmers" podcast with two unknown co-hosts.
The name itself admits the goal is creating viral clips through outrageous statements rather than substantive content.
Lemon's latest attack on Kelly proves nothing changed except his platform.
He tried to walk back the comments hours later with a non-apology that somehow made things worse.
"Perhaps I should apologize to the trans community because no one wants to look like Megyn Kelly," Lemon said.¹⁸
That statement managed to insult both transgender people and Kelly while showing zero genuine remorse.
The incident exposes what conservatives have known all along.
The Left's commitment to LGBTQ advocacy evaporates the instant they can weaponize identity as a cudgel against political opponents.
Lemon spent years lecturing Americans about respecting transgender people.
The moment he wanted to insult a conservative woman, he immediately reached for "trans" as a slur.
These people don't have principles.
They have weapons they deploy against enemies and shields they hide behind when facing accountability.
¹ Nicole Silverio, "'She Looks Clockable': Don Lemon Resumes Criticizing Ladies' Appearance With Megyn Kelly," Daily Caller, October 29, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ "Don Lemon Says Megyn Kelly Looks Like a Trans Woman," TMZ, October 29, 2025.
⁵ Elaine Mallon, "Outspoken LGBTQ ally Don Lemon faces backlash after claiming Megyn Kelly 'looks trans'," The National News Desk, October 29, 2025.
⁶ "Don Lemon nailed with fierce backlash for 'trans' slur against Megyn Kelly," Blaze Media, October 29, 2025.
⁷ John Sexton, "Don Lemon: Megyn Kelly Looks Trans," Hot Air, October 29, 2025.
⁸ Ibid.
⁹ Silverio, Daily Caller.
¹⁰ Oliver Darcy, "CNN fires anchor Don Lemon after 17 years," CNBC, April 24, 2023.
¹¹ Tatiana Siegel and Lachlan Cartwright, "CNN's Don Lemon Had History of Misogyny Before Nikki Haley Comment," Variety, April 5, 2023.
¹² Ibid.
¹³ Ibid.
¹⁴ Darcy, CNBC.
¹⁵ "Don Lemon Called Megyn Kelly 'Clockable' After Saying She Looked Trans," Distractify, October 29, 2025.
¹⁶ Darcy, CNBC.
¹⁷ "Don Lemon," Wikipedia, accessed October 30, 2025.
¹⁸ Sexton, Hot Air.
