It wouldn’t feel right to not have some form of drama or scandal from the ladies at The View this week.
On Friday, talk show newbie, Raven Symone talked herself into some trouble when she commented on a new study released in the Journal of Evolution and Human Behavior. During the segment, Raven claimed she would definitely not consider any “ghetto” names if she were an employer looking to hire.
The That’s So Raven star admitted, “Just to bring it back, can we take back ‘racist’ and say ‘discriminatory,’ because I think that’s a better word. And I am very discriminatory against words like the ones that they were saying in the video. I’m not going to hire you if your name is Watermelondrea. It’s not going to happen. I’m not going to hire you.”
After several of her fellow cohosts expressed opposing opinions to Raven, she asked, “is that mean?”
Well, according to thousands of viewers who heard what Raven said, it was in fact mean. Some of the feedback she received included:
“Raven is on TV looking like Toucan Sam w/ her Technicolor dreamcoat hair but wants to talk about not hiring folks w/ ghetto names. Girl…” – @Luvvie
“I think it’s ridiculously stupid not to hire someone for their name, just because my name is Shanique that shouldn’t affect my work ethic. I don’t even categorize raven with black woman because she does not respect nor support us in the way a black woman should, shes embarrassing.” – @BLVCKMATTERS
Critics Twitter posts:
https://twitter.com/Luvvie/status/652593650124222464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/BLVCKMATTERS/status/652599664169103360
https://twitter.com/BLVCKMATTERS/status/652600428715241473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Raven has yet to respond to the backlash, but her father did in an odd fatherly way.
In an open letter posted on this Facebook page Friday night, Christopher B. Pearman said he did not agree with his daughter’s comments, adding that she sometimes says “dumb shit.”
“Raven is a really Beautiful, Sweethearted, Human Being. I should know. Her Mother and I Love her Very much and will always support her and have her back. Even if sometimes………. she says some dumb S#%T!” he wrote.
After Symone made her comments, she was taken to task on social media — prompting her father, who previously served as her talent manager, to speak out.
“There has been much talk today about my daughters comments on her show’ The View.’ People have been hitting me up all night questioning me about her remarks,” he wrote. “This woman is grown, has her own management team, has her own opinions, right or wrong, and is responsible for her own words and actions.”
“I did my best as her father, mentor and career manager. I believe I did a Wonderful job. Aside from this inexcusable gaffe, her 29 years in the entertainment industry has been quite successful,” he added. “I certainly don’t agree with what she said….but she is damn near thirty years old. She’s a grown ass woman making grown ass mistakes. We all have been guilty of this.”
Here is Pearman’s full post below:
To My Dear Friends,
There has been much talk today about my daughters comments on her show The View. People have been hitting me up all night questioning me about her remarks. Let me say this……I haven’t managed Ravens career in over 10 years. This woman is grown, has her own management team, has her own opinions, right or wrong, and is responsible for her own words and actions. A woman wrote to me tonight and said she couldn’t support my book because of the words of my daughter. What she fails to realize is that my book is about teaching your child to believe and achieve. Raven has achieved incredible success, and this cannot be denied!
Children grow up and become influenced by many things, situations and people. I certainly don’t agree with what she said….but she is damn near thirty years old. She’s a grown ass woman making grown ass mistakes. We all have been guilty of this.
I did my best as her father, mentor and career manager. I believe I did a Wonderful job. Aside from this inexcusable gaffe, her 29 years in the entertainment industry has been quite successful, for there have been only an Elite Few Child Stars to last this long and have little to no controversy. For this, I am Very Proud!
Raven is a really Beautiful, Sweethearted, Human Being.I should know. Her Mother and I Love her Very much and will always support her and have her back. Even if sometimes……….she says some dumb S#%T!
UPDATE:
Raven-Symoné waited until the last minute on Sunday to ‘clarify’ her View comments. Here’s what she had to say:
In a Facebook post shared Sunday evening, the co-host clarified her remarks and promised that she has “never discriminated against a name.”
“I’d like to begin by saying that I was not attacking a specific race, but repeating a name that was said in a viral video which has received over 2 million likes,” she wrote to her 4.8 million followers. “My comment was in poor taste. My lack of empathy towards name discrimination was uncalled for….As an equal opportunity employer, I have never discriminated against a name….even though I said I would, it’s not true.”
As soon as the episode aired, a number of viewers began slamming the 29-year-old for her comments. Even Raven’s father had some words to say on Facebook over the weekend.
“I certainly don’t agree with what she said….but she is damn near thirty years old,” Christopher B. Pearman explained on social media. “She’s a grown ass woman making grown ass mistakes. We all have been guilty of this.”
He added, “Her Mother and I Love her Very much and will always support her and have her back. Even if sometimes……….she says some dumb S#%T!”
Tonight, Raven wants to make sure her comments don’t spin further out of control. At the same time, she’s also opening up about her own experiences with discrimination.
“I have been denied many jobs because of my skin color, body size, and age. Each time I was rejected, my self-esteem was negatively affected, so I empathize with those who feel victimized by what I said,” she wrote. “We would hope that when it comes to hiring, our names, physical appearance, sexual orientation, and age would never outweigh our qualifications, but often times, they do, that’s the truth and it sucks. But I should not be part of the problem, I should be part of the solution.”
Actor Shia LaBeouf got himself into trouble yet again.
The young star was arrested around 8pm on Friday night while outside of a bar in Austin, Texas. The star was reportedly charged with public intoxication. Shia’s mug shot was released, which shows him donning a mustache and a blue t-shirt.
According to TMZ, Shia was in Texas for the Austin City Limits music festival. However, on Friday his drinking got out of hand when he was seen running down the streets and jaywalking in front of the police. Apparently, the police gave Shia a warning about his behavior, but after failing to listen and smarten up, he was arrested.
Witnesses quickly shared the news on Twitter, as they posted videos and photos of the 29-year-old being taken away by the police.
Witnesses, Twitter posts:
https://twitter.com/kelsie_rae/status/652647337857191936/photo/1
Unfortunately, Shia has a history with substance issues and public outbursts. A few years ago the star was arrested when he drunkenly disrupted a performance of Cabaret. Shortly after he admitted to the press that he was going through an “existential crisis.”
Additionally, the star was seen in a huge fight with his ex-girlfriend Mia Goth back in July. In a video from the night, the star was heard saying that he “would have killed her” if he hadn’t walked away from the situation.
Hopefully, the former Disney star reaches out for some much-needed help after this incident.