Raven Symone’s declaration that she would not hire a person with a “ghetto” name stirred considerable backlash – Black Twitter lit up with criticisms about Raven Symone’s apparent acceptance of hiring discrimination, and the hypocrisy of her words in light of having a name that is widely considered Black and even “ghetto” itself. Her words even prompted the View co-host’s father to speak out and distance himself from the remarks, declaring that his daughter sometimes says “some dumb S%#t!”
Read here: Raven-Symoné’s Dad Pens Open Letter About His Daughter: ‘Sometimes she says some dumb S#%T!’
Hypocrisy aside, Keshia Knight Pulliam, a veteran child actress and alum of The Cosby Show, decided to take the high road and laugh it off.
“I guess she wouldn’t have hired me. I’ve got about the most ethnic name you can have!” she said to HuffPost Live on Tuesday.
Pulliam also said that Raven-Symone is entitled to her opinion, particularly since the format of the View is for the hosts to argue and have conflicting opinions. “If that is authentically her opinion, its hers. It doesn’t mean that I have to agree with it or you have to agree with it, or anyone else.”
Pulliam went on to show empathy for her former co-star, saying that there is added pressure from being in the public eye, where every move is scrutinized.
In a world where its easy to “clap back” at fellow entertainers and stir up controversy for likes and retweets, its refreshing to hear an actress show support for another when it comes to the insanity of show business, particularly the lengths one often has to go to in order to stay relevant. On the other hand, it’s worth noting that Pulliam dealt with the same challenges in a business that is particularly unforgiving to Black woman, and she has never felt the need to denigrate her own community to maintain her career…but that’s another story.
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