Why Sunny Hostin’s Position on The View Is Problematic

I know this is the unpopular opinion on Reddit specifically, but The View, outside of Reddit, was about healthy discussions with contrasting opinions. That includes criticism.

Sunny Hostin has built her brand on The View as a fierce advocate for racial justice and progressive values, yet there are layers to her story that deserve closer examination. While she speaks passionately about America’s history of systemic racism, The View once revealed that Sunny’s own ancestors were involved in the transatlantic slave trade. This startling revelation—that Black people in her family’s lineage sold other Black people—complicates her narrative. While history is rarely straightforward, this information raises valid questions about the complexities of America’s past and whether it’s fair to assign all blame to one part of the story while ignoring the full scope of it (source: New York Post).

Sunny has used her platform to repeatedly condemn America’s foundational flaws, but she seems reluctant to address her family’s own contributions to these systemic injustices. For viewers, this comes across as selective outrage. While no one should be held responsible for their ancestors’ actions, Sunny’s refusal to acknowledge the nuance here can feel like hypocrisy. A more genuine conversation about systemic racism might include the uncomfortable truth that this issue was not exclusive to white Americans. By glossing over her own family’s role, she misses an opportunity to deepen the dialogue in a way that could resonate with viewers who see these issues as multi-dimensional.

Then there’s the matter of Vice President Kamala Harris. Sunny’s aggressive questioning of Harris during a guest appearance on The View put the Vice President in a political trap. When Sunny pressed her on whether she would do anything differently than Biden, Harris was left with two poor options: criticize her own administration or stand by policies that have faced significant criticism. Harris chose loyalty, saying “nothing comes to mind,” a response that Republicans swiftly weaponized in campaign ads, casting her as an uncritical supporter of controversial decisions. For a host who champions progressive voices, Sunny’s approach in that moment came across as short-sighted, inadvertently sabotaging Harris’s image within her own party and providing ammunition to her opponents (source: Politico).

Sunny’s narrative is one of contradiction. She’s a well-off attorney with a prestigious education, living in a multimillion-dollar home in Westchester County—yet she positions herself as the voice of the marginalized. The problem isn’t her success; it’s the disconnect between her rhetoric and her reality. If The View truly wants to represent progressive values, perhaps it’s time for a new voice—someone whose background and message align without contradiction.