Sunny Hostin isn’t backing away from the remark that attracted widespread reactions. The View co-host is standing by her earlier comments. Days after saying on air that she can feel uneasy in neighborhoods lined with American flags, the longtime host revisited the topic on a podcast. She explained that her concern is about how some extremists have turned the American flag into a symbol of white supremacy, not about the flag itself.
Sunny Hostin said some extremists have co-opted the American flag, changing what it represents
Appearing on the “Behind the Table” podcast, Sunny Hostin was asked about her earlier comments. She was questioned why she had not taken them back. “I stand by that,” she told executive producer Brian Teta before framing the issue as a familiar one for many people. “I was going to say what’s interesting is that this is not a new conversation in the Black community,” she said.
Hostin has raised the point before on The View, including during a recent segment marking the nation’s 250th anniversary. Recalling comments she made in 2021, she said, “I said there are times when I walk into a community and I see American flags all over the community, and I suddenly feel unsafe because there’s a section of this country that has co-opted the American flag.”
On the podcast, she reiterated that her discomfort is based on displays she views as political rather than on the flag itself. “Unfortunately, at this point in our country, the American flag has been co-opted by the far right,” she said, pointing to people who “storm the Capitol” carrying both American and Confederate flags.
According to Hostin, some people have “weaponized the American flag.”
Hostin also voiced support for efforts to reclaim the flag’s meaning. “I would be very happy to be a part of a take the flag back,” she said. She added to that, saying, to her, the flag represents “justice,” “freedom,” and “equality.”
The remarks have drawn mixed reactions from conservative commentators and media outlets, who have disagreed with her characterization. Hostin, who is now in her 10th year on the daytime talk show, has not indicated that she plans to retract her comments.
TELL US – WHERE DO YOU LAND ON SUNNY HOSTIN’S TAKE ABOUT THE AMERICAN FLAG? DO YOU THINK THE SYMBOL CAN BE RECLAIMED THE WAY SHE DESCRIBES?
