“The View” co-host Sunny Hostin on Monday spoke out about “systemic racism” at ABC News days after network executive Barbara Fedida was placed on leave following a report of insensitive, racist and abusive language used about staffers including Hostin herself.
“It was a tough weekend for me 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,” Hostin said at the top of the daytime show, which airs on ABC.
Hostin then addressed many of the inflammatory comments Fedida detailed in Yashar Ali’s Huffington Post report on Saturday. “Because if true, to reference Robin Roberts — who is one of the most respected and beloved journalists in our country — as ‘picking cotton’; to reference me — someone who’s been very open about having grown up in publicly housing — as being ‘low rent’; to reference Kendis Gibson — who was my office mate at ABC and now is an MSNBC anchor — to say that he isn’t worth paying as much as ABC would pay for toilet paper; the fact that Mara Schiavocampo, who is a friend an a former colleague at ABC, the fact that she has an NDA in place and can’t talk about her experiences at ABC tells me that systemic racism touches everything and everyone in our society,” Hostin said.
“Regardless of social stature, no one is immune,” she said. “It’s the type or racism that black people deal with every single day and it has to stop.”
Hostin added she’s looking forward to the results of the network’s investigation into Fedida, who serves as senior vice president of talent and business. Hostin also noted that she’s received support from not only Goldberg, but “View” co-host Meghan McCain as well as other staffers on the show since the accusations surfaced over the weekend.
The internal ABC investigation was prompted in part by Ali’s investigative story, which recorded 34 current and former staffers’ complaints against Fedida.
The report cited a statement from Fedida provided by her attorney, which reads: “Throughout my career, I have been a champion for increased diversity in network news. Building a news division where everyone can thrive has been my life’s mission. I am proud of my decades of work of hiring, supporting and promoting talented journalists of color. And, unlike these heartbreaking and incredibly misleading claims about me, that track record is well-documented and undeniable.”