The View’s Sunny Hostin discusses racism at ABC and new memoir

The View host Sunny Hostin talks the criminal justice system, colorism and being snubbed by ABC because of her race. "Women of color are treated differently in the workplace," Hostin says. "I think it's risky to talk about it, but I needed to talk about it."

Video transcript

SUNNY HOSTIN: As a person of color who quote, unquote, "does all the right things," you still don't get treated with parity and equity in the way that your white counterpart is being treated. You start to think, what am I doing wrong?

BRITTANY JONES-COOPER: Hey, everybody. My name is Brittany Jones-Cooper. And today I'm chatting with Sunny Hostin, Emmy award winning co-host of "The View," who's here to talk about her new memoir, "I am These Truths." Hey, Sunny. How you doing?

SUNNY HOSTIN: Oh, hey. I'm good. Thanks for doing this.

BRITTANY JONES-COOPER: I know how much of a labor of love a book is, especially a memoir. So when you look at this and you see it in my hand, how does it make you feel?

SUNNY HOSTIN: It's incredible. It certainly was a labor of love. It's sort of a warts and all book.

BRITTANY JONES-COOPER: You talk about everything from your family through your career ambitions. You chose a path of law, which is certainly not an easy career path. So can you take me through why it was so important for you to become a prosecutor and why it's important to have people of color in that role?

SUNNY HOSTIN: It's really important for us to be on that side of the aisle. It's because the most powerful person in the criminal justice system is the prosecutor. People seem to think it's the judge. The person that decides who to charge, what to charge you with, who brings the cases, what sentence you're going to be recommended is the prosecutor. What made me choose to be a prosecutor and to enter into criminal justice is because I saw my uncle stabbed in front of me and no one was prosecuted, nothing happened.

The cops came and it was sort of like, oh, this is like Black on Black crime. And my uncle didn't deserve that. In writing this book, I reminded my dad that I witnessed a stabbing in close quarters. So I knew after going to law school that's the side you got to be on because then you can make those decisions that affect families.

BRITTANY JONES-COOPER: And as an Afro-Latina, you talk about colorism, which is a big issue in the black community and the Latinx community. Why was it important for you to explain that experience?

SUNNY HOSTIN: We don't talk about it. My father was the first person in his family that married outside of his race. My mother was the first person in her family that married outside of her race. Yet the complexion that I was, at least on my father's side, was kind of coveted because of what this country does, right, and has done to Black people.

And on my mother's side, they would always call me, negrita. Latinos will tell you that it's a term of endearment, I'd reject that because it is just a form of colorism. Why is calling someone little Black girl a term of endearment? It's identifying you by color.

BRITTANY JONES-COOPER: I just want to say, you being on camera, representation matters. So what kind of kept you motivated all those years because you didn't have a straight shot to the top?

SUNNY HOSTIN: There's the discussion a lot now. It's supposed to be diversity, equity, and inclusion. So while we're seeing more of us in front of the camera, couple less behind the camera, the piece that companies, especially media companies, seem to not get right or are reluctant to get right is the equity piece. Black women especially don't get paid the same as their white counterparts.

Companies also don't want to give us equity in terms of opportunity. So what I've found in my career, especially in television, is that it wasn't merit based. You know, I think a lot of people see me on "The View" and they're like, oh, look at her. Well, it took me a really long time. And I'm still struggling while there.

BRITTANY JONES-COOPER: You mentioned that when you were made a full time host at "The View," they never made an official announcement. Why do you think that was?

SUNNY HOSTIN: Women of color are treated differently in the workplace. I think it's risky to talk about it, but I needed to talk about it. I understand that maybe that's a minor indignity. You know, people are dying in the street.

Black men are being brutalized. Breonna Taylor was shot dead while she was in her bed. So the fact that I wasn't announced as a "View" co-host, it's not major. But for me, it felt undignified and it felt insulting.

BRITTANY JONES-COOPER: Well, it's not how it's supposed to be. And I think from watching you on "The View," we know that you do lead with authenticity and that you're going to be honest about your experience. And that's what fans tune in to see. Thank you for putting so much of yourself into the words.

SUNNY HOSTIN: I just hope that it's aspirational and I hope people get some courage from it to speak their truth. That's my wish in writing it.

BRITTANY JONES-COOPER: Absolutely. Thank you, Sunny.

SUNNY HOSTIN: Thank you.