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Raven Symone: ‘The View’ Host Under Fire For Comments Against ‘Ghetto’ Names

By Lindsay McCane
Published on: 04:03 PST, Oct 11, 2015

Raven Symone, one of the hosts of The View, is under fire after her comments against “ghetto” names she made during Friday’s episode.

When the co-hosts started discussing the prompt, “Are You Judged By Your Name?” after viewing a clip about the “Top 60 Ghetto Black Names,” the former Disney star of That’s So Raven said she “would not hire someone based solely on their name, a controversial comment that set Twitter on fire,” MStars News reports. The panel tried to reason with Raven, who just kept hysterically laughing at the whole conversation.

“Can we take back ‘racist’ and use the word ‘discriminatory,’ because I think that’s a much better word… I’m very discriminatory against the words like the ones they were saying in those names,” Symone responded when one of her co-hosts said her comments could be considered racist. “I’m not going to hire you if your name is Watermelon-Andrea. It’s just not going to happen. I’m just not going to hire you.”

“The whole world is trying to tear us apart and you want to discount the value of some other black person because she, TOO, has a black name, Raven hyphen alternate spelling of ‘Simone’?” EBONY magazine senior writer Jamilah Lemieux said, explaining that Raven was overlooking her own “black” name. Jamilah also added that Raven has “got the nerve.”

One of the many arguments to appear on Twitter was Raven’s 2005 episode of That’s So Raven called “True Colors.” Symone’s character, Raven, and her friend, Chelsea (Anneliese van der Pol), apply for the same job. Raven does very well in the interview, while Chelsea completely bombs it. Surprisingly, Chelsea gets the job, even with her horrible interview skills. Raven quickly realizes that she has been discriminated against and works to expose the store manager for her racist attitude and discrimination.

Not only was social media in a frenzy over Raven’s comments, her own father wrote an open letter on his Facebook page, admitting that his daughter “says some dumb s***.” He said he had been receiving question after question about Raven’s discussion on The View, and he decided to explain his thoughts on his daughter’s opinionated nature. While he made it clear that he does not agree with what she said, calling it an “inexcusable gaffe,” he explained that she is a grown woman, and he hasn’t managed her career in over 10 years.

“I did my best as her father, mentor, and career manager,” Raven’s father, Christopher Pearman, wrote. “I believe I did a Wonderful job. Aside from this inexcusable gaffe, her 29 years in the entertainment industry has been quite successful, for there have been only an Elite Few Child Stars to last this long and have little to no controversy. For this, I am Very Proud!”

“Raven is a really Beautiful, Sweethearted, Human Being. I should know. Her Mother and I Love her Very much and will always support her and have her back. Even if sometimes……….she says some dumb S#%T!”

What do you think about Raven Symone’s comments on The View? Leave your comments below.

[Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images]

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