The View’s Sunny Hostin clashes with co-hosts Sara Haines and Joy Behar over Jason Aldean’s “racist” song β as she slams the singer and remembers how her own parents “were chased out of South Carolina by the KKK”
The View’s Sunny Hostin clashed with her co-hosts Sara Haines and Joy Behar on Thursday’s episode of the ABC show when they discussed Jason Aldean’s controversial new song.
Aldean, 46, released the video for his anti-wake song, Try That In A Small Town, last Friday and it has divided many people because it features clips of BLM protesters destroying cities with lyrics that endorse traditional values ββand “take care of our own.”
While Haines, 45, argued that more people should be ‘held accountable’ for the song, and Behar, 80, argued that the musician should not be censored, Hostin, 54, sarcastically accused them of giving Aldean ‘the benefit of the doubt’.
The mother-of-two didn’t hold back when she labeled Aldean’s hometown, Macon Georgia, as “one of the most racist places” in the country and referenced her family’s terrifying experience with the Ku Klux Klan.
Despite admitting she doesn’t believe in censorship, Hostin claimed Aldean “knew exactly what he was doing” by using certain imagery in his new music video.
Sunny has her say: The View’s Sunny Hostin clashed with her co-hosts on Thursday’s episode of the ABC show
Country singer: The panel discussed Jason Aldean’s controversial new song, Try That In A Small Town
Speaking: Sara Haines argued that “more people need to be held accountable,” not just Jason
Lead panelist Whoopi Goldberg opened Thursday’s episode of The View by giving her thoughts on Aldean’s song and accompanying video β which has since been pulled by CMT.
“There’s lyrics in the song and I think, you know, he’s talking about living in a small town and it’s different, you know, and he’s showing these images, he’s got people from the Black Lives Matter movement, and he’s talking about people taking care of each other and I think it’s so interesting that it never occurred to Jason or the writers that that’s what these people were doing,” Goldberg began.
βThey took care of the people in their town because they didn’t like what they saw. Just like you talk about people taking care of each other in small towns. We do the same in big cities.
βYou just have to realize that when you talk about Black Lives Matter, people say, well, are you talking about black people? What are you talking about here?
βWhen we talk about America taking care of each other, it shouldn’t be about Black Lives Matter. You should be able to show all the different things that happened in our country, where people stood up and said, that’s all. We do the same as small towns. That’s my two cents!’ added the Sister Act star.
Behar then spoke up and said, βThere is no reason to separate big-city people from small-town people, that to me is the divisive part of this song.
βI mean, it’s a deplorable number and annoying. It’s very divisive and provocative. But I’m defending his right to make this video. Since they can’t censor me, they shouldn’t censor him,” she added.
Mother-of-three Haines chimed in, sharing her own experience living in a small Iowa town.
“I understand the pride and the distinction between cities in rural communities and the cities, because you’re not very highly regarded in this country, you never have, when you come here I was always that ‘girl from Iowa,'” she said.
βIt wasn’t just Jason Aldean because he didn’t write the song, he performed it, but there are a lot of checks and balances when you release an album, you go on tour.
βYou’re going to do it. I also say: shame on anyone who could have caught it along the way to say: there are problems here. Perhaps the most important thing to do right now is listen,β Haines added.
Joy’s Joke: Panelist Joy Behar labeled the new song “deplorable and annoying”
Honest opinion: Sunny admitted that she wouldn’t give Jason the benefit of the doubt
Mother’s Love: Sunny confirmed that her mother Rosa was in the live studio audience for Thursday’s show
So sad: Sunny said her parents, Rosa and William, were forced to leave their town because they were an interracial couple
Proud dad: Sunny, pictured with her dad William, said her parents are “still scarred” because they were “run out of South Carolina by the KKK”
Hostin looked quite disappointed and then shared her opinion and calmly said to her co-host, “I’m not actually going to give him the benefit of the doubt and I’m glad you are and glad you are.”
Behar intervened and asked, “Do you agree that he can sing whatever he wants?”
Hostin continued, βAs a lawyer, I don’t believe in censorship when I put on my legal cap. However, this man is from Macon, Georgia. My father is from Augusta, Georgia, and Macon, Georgia. I spent many summers there.
“It’s one of the most racist places in this country.
“So don’t tell me he didn’t know what those images meant, so I’m not giving him the benefit of the doubt.”
Haines fired back, “But I’m saying that along with him, more people need to be held accountable…” but her co-host didn’t give her a chance to continue talking.
The camera cut to the live studio audience as Hostin confirmed her own mother was present as she blew her a kiss.
She then revealed, βMy mom and dad, being an interracial couple, were chased out of South Carolina by the KKK. And my father is still marked by that experience, and you are still marked by that experience,β her mother nodded.
“We’re all still scarred by that experience,” Goldberg sympathized, as Hostin continued, “So don’t tell me he wasn’t just aware of what he was doing by using that imagery, he embraced that imagery, and unfortunately it became the number one song on iTunes in the US.”
Whoopi’s wrath: Sister Act star Whoopi Goldberg has a problem with the song and added her ‘two cents’
The View panel, including Alyssa Farah Griffin (right), discussed Jason’s new song and music video in detail
“We have a problem with race in this country and the biggest problem is that we refuse to admit it exists,” she added.
Viewers tuning in at home supported Hostin’s position and took to Twitter to comment.
‘Tell them Sunny! We’re not going to pretend this guy was ignorant of what he’s portraying in that song/video! #TheView,” one person wrote.
It would be very hard for me to watch this show without @sunny. She is never afraid to say what needs to be said. I appreciate that. #TheView,β another person tweeted.
A third said, “Okay Whoopi and Sunny isn’t playing #theview today,” while a fourth viewer simply added, “THANK YOU SUNNY!!!! #The view.’
Meanwhile, Aldean defended his new song and video after CMT pulled it off the air on Tuesday.
The singer addressed his detractors in an Instagram story denying any anti-black or pro-lynching sentiment, pointing out that people have only now discovered it, two months after it was released.
“In the last 24 hours I’ve been accused of putting out a pro-lynching song (one that’s been out since May) and I’ve been compared that I (direct quote) wasn’t too happy with the nationwide BLM protests,” He wrote. βThese references are not only worthless, they are also dangerous.
“There’s not a single lyric in the song that references or hints at race – and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t actual news footage – and while I can respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music – this one goes too far,” he added.