Political commentator Angela Rye called out investment guru Kevin O’Leary for touching her without consent during a tense exchange about Elon Musk’s controversial political donations.
What started as a heated political debate on CNN NewsNight turned into a viral moment about boundaries and who gets to set them!
As Rye and O’Leary sparred over whether Musk’s financial support for lawmakers backing his business interests violated ethics laws, O’Leary reached out and placed his hand on Rye’s arm mid-argument. Rye immediately shut it down: “You don’t have to touch me.”
O’Leary, known for his “Mr. Wonderful” persona, awkwardly replied, “I did that nicely,” prompting Rye to firmly restate her boundary: “I don’t want you to touch me. That’s my personal space.” After O’Leary retreated with a flustered, “I won’t ever do it again,” Rye swiftly pivoted back to the debate, refusing to let the interruption derail her points.
The clash over physical space mirrored their ideological divide. Rye accused Musk of engaging in a “violation of law” by donating to politicians who later defended his ventures, calling it an “exchange of value.”
“He literally says he says thank you to the members who introduce articles of impeachment. That is an exchange of value. That is a violation of law,” Rye continued her argument.
O’Leary dismissed her critique, arguing, “The oldest profession on earth is politicians raising money. That has happened from the beginning of time. That’s going on forever and will continue forever.”
He continued, “He concluded, “This issue around judges, this is pure politics. Get over it! This is what we live in today, every day.
“No laws have been broken. You don’t like it? Too bad.”
Viewers flooded X (formerly Twitter) with praise for Rye’s unflinching response. “Boundaries are real, and she is allowed her personal space. She was direct and left no room for confusion,” one user wrote. Others criticized O’Leary’s tone-deaf defense, with one commenter quipping, “Checked him in the nicest/nasty/professional way.” With someone else writing, “Good for her! It’s hard to advocate for yourself in those spaces, in the moment.”
“I love when the comment section is all on the same page … don’t touch me please!” another user added.
