I have to start off by saying that I’ve been a fan of Raven-Symoné for years. After she got her start as a child actor on The Cosby Show, Symoné’s been known for everything from her music career to her leading role in The Cheetah Girls movies to, of course, her starring role on Disney Channel’s That’s So Raven. That’s why when I initially found out that Symoné was going to be a host on The View, I couldn’t contain my excitement. I immediately became a daily The Viewviewer. But now, with Season 20 of The View on its way, a source has revealed to Page Six that Symoné’s seat at the table isn’t going to last much longer. As ABC may be phasing Symoné out over the course of the next season — even if they’re not yet ready to officially make any announcements.
“The plan is to phase Symoné out slowly,” revealed the source. “She has some projects cooking, and they’ll say she left to focus on those.” However, the network themselves have a whole other perspective on the matter. As ABC News President James Goldston reacted to comments regarding both Raven-Symoné and fellow co-host Paula Faris in saying, “No one is being phased out, period. Paula and Raven have been a tremendous part of our success this year, they’re just getting started.” But when something as substantial as the subtle release of a show’s host is being discussed, it’s hard to really know what to expect. Until, of course, it’s too late. And that’s why I need to put this out there right now: Symoné deserves to keep her spot at the table.
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For one, if Symoné’s schedule is getting busier, that shouldn’t be a reason for dismissal. Because she isn’t the only currently working actor a part of the daily trending discussion. Candace Cameron-Bure from Full House manages to make The View her home even though she takes time off to film the Netflix spinoff series, Fuller House. And, if anything else about Symoné’s work on the show would be to blame, then that right there would be a failure of the show’s original intention: To establish different viewpoints on current events from women of all ages. In fact, I love having Symoné on the show not just because I grew up watching her. But because she genuinely brings something new and different to the discussion.
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In fact, if they do need to fill her spot, it’s going to be a tough spot to fill. As an black lesbian woman in her 20s, Symoné brought to a unique and oftentimes overshadowed viewpoint to the show. But in general, she acted as the voice for a large portion of the millennial generation. It was nice to get Symoné’s young, single perspective on the show. Even if there were times that not everyone necessarily agreed with her. Meaning that, at the very least, ABC would need a woman in her 20s to fill her spot. And with a host as great as Symoné, replacing her would not be easy.
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But, what could this mean for Symoné’s career moving forward? If anything, Symoné leaving the show could end up being more of a positive than a negative if that is the case. With Symoné recently releasing some new music, perhaps a clearing of her schedule could mean an entirely new album is on the way. Also, I personally would love to see her jump right back into the acting thing as well. Symoné has guest-starred on numerous shows over the past year (Black-ish, Nashville, The Jim Gaffigan Show) and is set to appear in the 2017 film, Animal Crackers. And with no explanation as to why ABC would leave her behind, schedule conflicts may just be getting in the way, which certainly doesn’t take away all that much from Symoné’s overall spotlight.
In the meantime, I’m going to stop getting so ahead of myself and enjoy every single episode of The View that Symoné’s on because she definitely has more insight to share with the show’s viewers.
What do you think Raven-Symoné’s going to do next?
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