CNN Contributor Scolds Fellow Panelist for Referring to Kamala Harris by First Name ‘As If You Know Her’

CNN contributor Cari Champion chastised CNN analyst Coleman Hughes live on-air for referring to Vice President Kamala Harris by her first name on Monday.

During a CNN NewsNight panel discussion about Harris’ presidential campaign, Hughes repeatedly referred to Harris by her first name, Kamala, prompting Champion to chastise him for showing a “lack of respect.”

Turning to Hughes and another panelist, Solomon Jones, Champion interrupted, “Can we also call her vice president? You guys are speaking about her so carefully and casually as if you know her, and I think she deserves the respect.”

“Well, I don’t always say President Biden when I say Biden,” protested Hughes.

Champion then argued, “If we continue in the media to just call her Kamala or whatever name you just called her, it sends a message of lack of respect, and so I think she needs the title and I think she deserves the respect.”

“I think you’re reading that message into it, it’s not an intended message on my part,” shot back Hughes.

It wasn’t the only argument to take place over Harris’ name on CNN, Monday.

During a conversation about Harris on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers snapped at CNN senior political commentator David Urban over his pronunciation of Harris’ first name.

“That’s not her name! That’s not her name. Stop, stop, stop, stop. Stop,” protested Sellers after Urban repeatedly mispronounced Harris’ name. “Her name is Kamala.”

Urban snapped back, “Shame on you, Bakari! Because you know me better than that, so, shame on you. I’m saying let’s talk about her record.”

Watch above via CNN.

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