Tonight (March 12), actress Michelle Yeoh won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2023, for her role as a mother in the film Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. Yeoh took the award while making history, as the first Asian lead actress to win the award.

During her simultaneously emotional, yet measured speech, Yeoh said, “For all the little boys and girls who look like me tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof that dreams dream big, and dreams do come true. And, ladies, don’t let anybody tell you you’re ever past your prime.”

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Yeoh’s last statement drew rousing applause from the audience. On the surface, it was simply a strong woman delivering a strong women of all strengths. On the inside to Hollywood and those following some of the drama surrounding CNN’s This Morning show, it was a dig at CNN This Morning host Don Lemon, who recently endured some controversy for sexist remarks that “a woman is considered in her prime in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s. The comment caused Lemon to be off the air for days at CNN, and rumors were that his termination was being considered.

“Ladies, don’t let anyone tell you you are ever past your prime.” – Michelle Yeoh #Oscars pic.twitter.com/Kghu1jx53F

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) March 13, 2023

Having just won her first Oscar at age 60, Michelle Yeoh is a shining example of how wrong Lemon’s assessment was. Yeoh’s win was just one of the multiple Academy Awards that Everything, Everywhere, All At Once won. The film did a sweep of nearly all of the Academy’s major awards, including “Best Picture,” “Best Actress,” “Best Supporting Actress” (Jamie Lee Curtis), “Best Supporting Actor” (Ke Huy Quan), and “Best Director” (Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert).