‘The View’s’ Sunny Hostin Makes Emotional Statement After Report That An ABC Executive Called Her ‘Low Rent’
The View co-host Sunny Hostin opened up on Monday’s episode of the show to talk about reports that ABC News executive Barbara Fedida made racially-insensitive and derogatory comments about the staff at the network. Reportedly, Fedida called Hostin “low rent,” something that The View co-host said made her feel “hurt” and “saddened.”
As The Daily Beast reports, the women on the show tackled the topic of race as issues of systemic racism have come to the foreground amidst the ongoing protests over the death of George Floyd.
Co-host Whoopi Goldberg addressed Fedida’s comments before Hostin weighed in.
“It was a tough weekend for me,” Hostin told the panel.
“And I was really disappointed and saddened and hurt when I learned about the racist comments that were made allegedly about me, my colleagues and my dear friends.”
Her co-hosts, including Meghan McCain and Joy Behar, rallied around her after she made her emotional confession, noting that they were a team and a disparaging comment about one of them hurt all of them.
According to a report from HuffPost, Fedida also called out Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts in a meeting during contract negotiations, asking what more she wanted. It’s not like the network wanted her to “pick cotton,” three people familiar with the meeting say the exec remarked.
Hostin said that the comments aimed at her, along with other employees at the network, prove that “no one is immune” to systemic racism. She noted that it impacts everyone, regardless of their social standing.
“It’s the type of racism that black people deal with every single day, and it has to stop, and I look forward to the results of what I hear is going to be an independent, external investigation, and I felt very loved and supported by my colleagues,” Hostin said during the show.
“This has got to stop.”
Goldberg ended the segment by saying that she didn’t believe that Fedida was racist, but that there should be a thorough investigation into her behavior and comments. The long-time co-host also noted that she had known the ABC exec for a good deal of time, but that systemic racism was facing a reckoning.
The women on the show have frequently tackled the topic of race relations and the protests spreading across the country over police brutality and racism. Recently, McCain blasted Donald Trump’s handling of the civil unrest, saying that he “neutered” the ongoing crisis.
Fedida has said that the reports of her comments were conveyed in a misleading way. She has been placed on administrative leave.
