Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary slammed by CNN panellist for touching her amid debate over Elon Musk
ByArya Vaishnavi
Mar 20, 2025 11:44 PM IST
CNN panellist Angela Rye scolded Shark Tank judge Kevin O'Leary for touching her during a heated debate over Elon Musk
Kevin O'Leary was scolded by a CNN panellist for allegedly touching her arm during Wednesday's episode of NewsNight. The Shark Tank star got into a heated debate with Angela Rye, former executive director and general counsel to the Congressional Black Caucus, over Elon Musk's recent donations to GOP members of Congress.
CNN panellist scolds Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary for touching her (NewsNight)
CNN panellist scolds Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary for touching her (NewsNight)
CNN panellist slams Kevin O'Leary for touching her during debate over Elon Musk
While trading jabs, the 70-year-old apparently touched the Rye off-camera to put his point forward. The gesture infuriated the panellist, who fumed at O'Leary, saying, “You don’t have to touch me!” The Canadian investor quickly tried to clarify by explaining, “I did that nicely.”
Rye doubled down, saying, “I don’t want you to touch me. That’s my personal space.” O'Leary replied, “I won’t ever do it again.” Rye resumed their discussion about the Tesla CEO's monetary gifts to the Republican lawmakers who support Donald Trump's calls to impeach federal judges for blocking the president's actions.
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The 45-year-old Democrat called Musk's donations a “violation,” citing his tweets, where he thanked the recipients. “But he literally says, he literally, he says thank you to the members who introduced articles of impeachment,” she said of Musk, adding, “That is an exchange of value. That is a violation.”
O'Leary recovered from the awkward moment and pivoted to a different stance, saying, “Let’s talk about the two narratives going on simultaneously. The oldest profession on Earth is not prostitution; it’s politicians raising money.”
“That has happened from the beginning of time. That’s going on forever and will continue forever. This issue around judges, this is pure politics. Get over it. This is what we live in today, every day,” O'Leary went on, adding, “No laws have been broken. You don’t like it? Too bad.”
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