Kevin O’Leary Apologizes Amid CNN Segment
Another day, another CNN meltdown—this time starring Angela Rye, a longtime Democrat operative who managed to turn a spirited political debate into a personal grievance drama over a momentary touch on the arm.
The villain of the hour? Kevin O’Leary, the straight-shooting investor from Shark Tank, who had the audacity to challenge her narrative about Elon Musk and Republicans, while also making the mistake of trying to politely interject.
This is what happens when the political Left runs out of arguments: they pivot to outrage theater. The exchange unfolded during a debate on Elon Musk’s political donations, specifically to Republican lawmakers who have pushed to impeach activist federal judges standing in the way of President Trump’s agenda. O’Leary defended the donations as legal and typical of political engagement. Rye, however, insisted the contributions were criminal and accused Musk of buying influence.
That’s when O’Leary lightly touched Rye’s arm—off-camera—to try to get a word in. Rye recoiled and shifted the conversation into full victim mode: “You don’t have to touch me.” O’Leary calmly replied, “I did that nicely.” But Rye wasn’t finished. “I don’t want you to touch me. That’s my personal space.” O’Leary, likely realizing the absurdity of where things were heading, cut it off: “I won’t ever do it again.”
‘Shark Tank’ star Kevin O’Leary ripped by female CNN panelist for touching her during heated debate over Musk https://t.co/GZESe9Okpi pic.twitter.com/Mx3UmQtgSg
— New York Post (@nypost) March 20, 2025
And just like that, the issue wasn’t Musk’s legal donations or judicial overreach—it was “personal space.”
This is the same Angela Rye who has defended actual criminal behavior in the name of “equity,” who has pushed racialized political rhetoric on national television, and who conveniently finds ways to shut down opposing views by retreating into identity politics.
Meanwhile, O’Leary was one of the few panelists making a clear, factual argument: political donations are legal. Politicians have been soliciting money for influence since Rome was an empire. There’s a reason it’s called a swamp. Musk’s donations, totaling the legal cap of $6,600 per candidate, went to Republicans who support cleaning up judicial activism that’s been weaponized against any Trump-led reform—whether it’s securing the border, protecting the military from woke overreach, or ending birthright citizenship abuse.
That’s what the Left can’t tolerate. They don’t care about decorum or donations—they care about control. And they’re watching that control erode in real time. Musk, through DOGE, and Trump through raw executive force, are dismantling the bloated architecture of federal overreach. The judges blocking them are partisan activists in robes, and their protectors like Rye are losing their grip.