What fun would a talk show be without a little drama? The ladies of The View are no strangers to controversy, and their on-camera conversations sometimes spark serious outrage. Here are a few moments that prove these women will speak their mind, no matter what.
In defense of Mel Gibson
After a tape came out in 2010 of Mel Gibson screaming racist comments, View host Whoopi Goldberg declared that the Gibson she knew was definitely not a racist — ignoring the fact that he had just went on a very hateful rant. That didn’t sit well with viewers, who thought Goldberg was in the wrong for standing up for her pal given the circumstances.
Walking out on O’Reilly
A discussion on whether or not President Obama should have approved the building of a mosque near the site of the World Trade Center got heated between conservative host Bill O’Reilly, Goldberg and Joy Behar. Behar and Goldberg, who thought it was un-American to deny the building, eventually walked out on the View‘s guest.
Trump’s toilets
Kelly Osbourne received backlash after she fired back to Donald Trump’s immigration comments, stating, “If you kick every Latino out of this country, then who is going to be cleaning your toilet, Donald Trump?” Osbourne had immediately put her foot in her mouth, and the damage was done. She later issued an apology for her “poor choice of words” but insisted she was not a “racist” as some viewers implied.
The lame name game
Former Disney Channel star and View host Raven-Symoné made plenty of people mad when she scoffed that she would never hire anyone with a “ghetto-sounding” name. Fans accused her of discrimination, and even her own father called her out for her not-so-smart comments. She eventually issued an apology and said that, in actual life, she has never denied someone a job opportunity based on their name.
Erin Andrews offense
Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s offhand “joke” was anything but to ESPN reporter and Dancing with the Stars host Erin Andrews, who was a victim of a peeping Tom case back in 2011. After Hasselbeck noticed that Andrews was wearing skimpy clothes on DWTS, she told the audience at The View, “I mean, in some way if I’m [the stalker], I’m like, ‘Man! I just could’ve waited 12 weeks and seen this — a little bit less, without the prison time!'” The insensitive comment reportedly hurt Andrews, and Hasselbeck realized the error of her ways. Hasselbeck apologized for the cruel comment the next day on The View with tears in her eyes and even said that she told her daughter about the incident as a learning experience.
Let them eat cake?
Candace Cameron Bure and Raven-Symoné got into a heated argument when Bure stated it was constitutional and ethical for a bakery to deny a lesbian couple a wedding cake based on their religious beliefs. Raven-Symoné scoffed, stating that it was no different than denying a couple a cake based on their race. Though the other hosts attempted to break up the tension between the Fuller House star and the That’s So Raven actress, things got quite awkward.
Defending Bill Cosby
After dozens of allegations of sexual assault came out against Bill Cosby in 2015, Goldberg spoke out on The View and said that Cosby was “innocent until proven guilty.” The trouble with Goldberg’s statement is that it came out shortly after a court document came out that said Cosby admitted to drugging women before having sex with them, making her opinion quite controversial. Goldberg’s insistence to treat Cosby like an innocent man irked plenty of viewers, who saw it as silencing his alleged victims.
Mocking nurses
In 2015, co-host Michelle Collins received a ton of heat from nurses and sympathetic viewers when she criticized Miss Colorado’s speech about what it means to be a nurse. In fact, people were so peeved about the unkind words that the hashtag #NursesUnite began trending on Twitter, encouraging people to share their truth about how important nurses are.
Barbara Walters defends Woody Allen
Dylan Farrow’s column for The New York Times, which stated that her father, Woody Allen, molested her when she was a child, became one of the hot topics on The View. Barbara Walters, a friend of Allen’s, immediately came to his defense, calling Allen a good husband and father. The cringeworthy statement was quickly debated by the other hosts of The View, but fans were unhappy with Walters’ quick dismissal of Farrow’s case.
Authority argument
One of the hot topics on The View was the case of a police officer who reportedly attacked a black student who refused to get off her cellphone, choking her. Though the officer was fired after the incident, Raven-Symoné defended his actions — to a certain extent — stating, “My mom always taught me I was born this color, I’m gonna have to deal with the things that are happening, and you come together and work it out. But when I’m in a situation, I definitely don’t want to cause worse things to happen to me. It sucks sometimes.” After the episode aired, a Change.org petition called for Raven-Symoné to be removed from The View panel, as fans thought she wasn’t a good role model for black Americans.
Who gets the last word?
Hasselbeck and Goldberg revealed their different views on the use of the N-word in a 2008 discussion. Hasselbeck insisted that the word is never appropriate to use, while Goldberg believed it to be acceptable for black people to reclaim. The discussion left Hasselbeck in tears and sparked social media conversations about which of the two hosts is right.
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