A Wednesday night segment of CNN NewsNight was quickly overshadowed by a tense interaction between guest Angela Rye and former Dragon’s Den host, Kevin O’Leary, when Rye demanded that O’Leary stay out of her personal space after he touched her.
The interaction took place during a discussion about Elon Musk’s donations to members of Congress who support the impeachment of federal judges who oppose U.S. President Donald Trump.
At one point Rye, who is known for her political commentary, begins speaking briefly until O’Leary who is not seen on camera interrupts her, to which she replies, “You don’t have to touch me.”
O’Leary immediately attempted to give an explanation for his actions, saying, “I did that nicely.”
@nowtoronto During a #CNN broadcast yesterday, guest #AngelaRye told Canadian businessman #KevinO'Leary ♬ original sound – Now Toronto
But Rye did not find the excuse all that pleasing.
“I don’t want you to touch me, that’s my personal space,” she said.
O’Leary ended the interaction by saying, “I won’t ever do it again.”
Afterwards, Rye simply resumed her argument, but it wasn’t long until social media users continued the debate by calling out O’Leary for his actions, with many saying that the move was an attempt to silence Rye.
“What a control tactic. He cut her off and used that touch to try and tell her to stop talking so she could speak,” one Threads user said.
Another user went on to say that “he was being disrespectful and belittling.”
“Don’t touch people you don’t have the consent to touch. It’s not a friendly gesture,” an X user also chimed in.
However, some people felt that Rye overreacted, and that O’Leary appeared to take accountability for his actions
“I don’t think [he] meant any harm by the way he tapped her. It seems accidental,” one Threads user said.
An Instagram user went as far as saying that her response was “uncalled for,” saying the touch didn’t seem aggressive.
Meanwhile, other social media users also feel like both O’Leary and Rye handled the situation badly.
Neither O’Leary or Rye have commented on the interaction since the show has aired.
