The View’s Sunny Hostin described the pain she felt following a report that an ABC News executive allegedly made racist comments about her and other journalists of color.
Hostin reacted to the reporting, which led to Barbara Fedida being placed on administrative leave, during the opening segment of The View on Monday.
“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,” she said, before listing a couple of examples.
“The fact that she [Mara Schiavocampo] 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 regardless of social stature,” Hostin added. “No one is immune. It’s the type of racism that black people deal with every single day, and it has to stop, and I look forward to the results of what I hear is going to be an independent, external investigation.”
The report published by HuffPost over the weekend said Fedida, the senior vice president of talent and business affairs, made derogatory and racist remarks about staffers.
Whoopi Goldberg, another co-host on The View, said she didn’t believe Fedida is “a racist,” but added that an external, independent investigation is needed to determine if the allegations are true.
“There are deeply disturbing allegations in this story that we need to investigate, and we have placed Barbara Fedida on administrative leave while we conduct a thorough and complete investigation,” ABC News management said in a statement. “These allegations do not represent the values and culture of ABC News, where we strive to make everyone feel respected in a thriving, diverse and inclusive workplace.”
Fedida reportedly took shots at Hostin and Good Morning America host Robin Roberts, among many others.
“I am proud of my decades of work of hiring, supporting and promoting talented journalists of color,” Fedida said in a statement. “And, unlike these heartbreaking and incredibly misleading claims about me, that track record is well-documented and undeniable.”
