“The View” was once again forced to a commercial break on Tuesday morning, but it wasn’t because of protestors. This time, it happened in order to cut off an on-screen argument between hosts Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin.
Things between the women got tense as the table discussed the midterm elections, and what the House and Senate will look like if the suspected “red wave” does come to pass. Host Alyssa Farah Griffin noted that she expects Republicans to “win handily” for a variety of reasons, but took a moment to call out one issue in particular that she has with Democrats.
“This won’t be a popular opinion at the table, but I worry that some of the far left has become so negative in how they talk about the other party,” she said.
But before she could continue her thought, Hostin cut her off, questioning who exactly Farah Griffin was referring to as “far left.” She once again criticized her cohost for attempting to “both sides” an issue, and reminded Farah Griffin that “the ‘far left’ didn’t storm the Capitol.”
In response, Farah Griffin called back to Hostin’s comments about white Republican women in the suburbs last week. “I read a poll just yesterday that white Republican suburban women are now going to vote Republican,” Hostin marveled at the time. “It’s almost like roaches voting for Raid, right?” Farah Griffin got visibly upset and disagreed, calling Hostin’s words “insulting to the voter.”
So, on Tuesday’s show, she called back to that “rhetoric,” saying Hostin outright called those women roaches. At that, Hostin fired back, saying she merely used a simile, rather than specifically name-calling. As the women started bickering, moderator Whoopi Goldberg had to interject and remind her cohosts to “tone it down a bit” and not speak over each other.
Hostin spoke first, defending her words, and noting that she would never call a white woman a roach, especially since her mother is a white woman. Hostin added that the comparison wasn’t even her own, but a joke used by comedian and actor John Leguizamo. But eventually, the two hosts started yelling over each other again.
“You are actually twisting what I said. Don’t say that I called white women roaches,” Hostin said. Simultaneously, Farah Griffin was attempting to finish her thought, saying “Sunny, we heard your point, I’m trying to make you consider a perspective you haven’t before.”
In the end, Whoopi cut them both off and sent the show to commercial, saying “Can’t take it.” When the show returned from that commercial break, Farah Griffin conceded that she “misquoted” what Hostin said, and acknowledged her cohost’s clarification of the simile.