Raven-Symoné Apologizes For Discriminatory Comments After Being Called Out By Her Father
Raven-Symoné has apologized for her discriminatory comments during Friday’s episode of The View after being called out by her father, Christopher Pearman.
As the Inquisitr previously reported, the former Disney channel star of That’s So Raven found herself in hot water after making what some say were “racist” comments while discussing the prompt, “Are You Judged By Your Name?” After viewing a video clip about “Top 60 Ghetto Black Names,” Symoné said she “would not hire someone based solely on their name.”
“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,” Symoné responded when one of her co-hosts said that 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.”
She Tried It: Why I’m Not Here for Raven-Symoné’s Sorry, Not Sorry Apology http://t.co/M3sTu9hyq8 pic.twitter.com/VwfiXQPDHL
— xoNecole (@xonecole) October 13, 2015
Following her comments, Twitter was abuzz with comments, calling Symoné racist and ignorant. Her own father even called her out in a lengthy Facebook post, where he admitted that his daughter sometimes “says some dumb s***.”
“I did my best as her father, mentor, and career manager,” he 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,” Pearman added. “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!”
One of the many arguments to appear on Twitter was Raven’s 2005 episode of That’s So Raven, titled “True Colors.” Symoné’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 interviewing skills. Raven then quickly realizes that she has been discriminated against, and works to expose the store manager for her racist attitude and discrimination.
@ravensymone remember episode true colors?#RavenSymoneSoundsLike #racism #nochill #RavenSymone pic.twitter.com/J53ig8KLsx
— Neffie (@StarDecember) October 10, 2015
After the extensive backlash she received from viewers, Raven decided to issue an apology, via Facebook, for her insensitive comments, saying that she was “not attacking a specific race.”
“I have been denied many jobs because of my skin color, body size, and age. Each time I was rejected, my self esteem was negatively effected, so i empathize with those who feel victimized by what I said. We would hope that when it comes to hiring, our names, physical appearance, sexual orientation, and age would never outweigh our qualifications, but often times, they do, thats the truth and it sucks. But I should not be part of the problem, I should be part of the solution.”
Raven went on to say that she considers herself an equal opportunity employer, and says she has never discriminated against a name. She said that her comment was in “poor taste,” and although she said she would, she would never not hire someone to work for her based solely on their name.
What do you think about Raven-Symoné’s discriminatory comments on The View? Do you think her apology was sincere? Leave your comments below.
