Yeoh stated as she accepted the honor, "This is a beacon of hope and possibility for all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight. Dreams do come true, as demonstrated by this. And ladies, don't ever let someone convince you that your best years are behind you. Never surrender."
Yeoh actually said "don’t let anybody tell you you're ever past your prime." Several TV hosts and media critics responded to Yeoh's statement live on Sunday, and many of them questioned whether the remarks were meant to be critical of Lemon.
Lemon has received harsh criticism for remarks he made in February that some have deemed to be misogynistic. On "CNN This Morning," Lemon apologized to his female co-hosts and said of recently announced GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley, "Nikki Haley isn't in her prime, sorry." Haley is a former governor of South Carolina.
He continued, "A woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s, 30s, and possibly 40s.
Was this a dig at @donlemon for his previous remarks about women "being past their prime" after they reach the age of 40? Stephanie Hamill, an ambassador for Turning Point USA, tweeted a question to Yeoh's over 146,000 followers.
In a tweet on Sunday, NPR TV critic Eric Deggans was more blunt, claiming that Yeoh's comments were meant to "shadow for Don Lemon".
Briahna Joy Gray, a contributing editor for Current Affairs, made fun of herself for being unable to foresee Yeoh's jabs at Lemon during the Oscars. Gray tweeted an Oscars trophy emoji along with the statement, "Michelle Yeoh coming for Don Lemon was not on my #Oscar bingo card.
Yeoh received applause for her remarks about age from other media professionals, many of whom were female.
In a widely shared tweet, television host Bianca Gonzalez praised the Oscar-winning actress. "We never outgrow our best years. Michelle Yeoh, YELL!!!!"
"It's been verified. Michelle Yeoh is a force to be reckoned with "Kristie Lu Stout, a CNN presenter, tweeted. Susan Li, a TV host, wrote, "You're crying, not me.
On Sunday, some of Yeoh's "Everything Everywhere All at Once" co-stars won Academy Awards. Jamie Lee Curtis, an actress, received her first-ever Oscar for best supporting actress for her work in the film.
