‘The View’: Sunny Hostin Shocks by Admitting She’s ‘Dismayed’ Diddy Was Kept in Jail Before Trial
Don’t Miss Any Co-host Chaos
For exclusive news and updates, subscribe to our The View Newsletter:
The second Hot Topic of the day on the Monday, July 7, episode of The View was the verdict being reached in Sean Combs‘ trial. The rapper, better known as Diddy, was found guilty on two prostitution charges and faces up to 20 years in prison. However, many were appalled to learn that a jury found him not guilty on the sex trafficking and racketeering charges against him.
One person who wasn’t shocked by the decision was Sunny Hostin, who noted that the “organized criminal enterprise” was “not very clear” in Diddy’s case. “Yes, he ran Bad Boy Records and had employees that kind of cleaned up hotel rooms and booked transportation, but they never really made it clear. It’s a very difficult statute to work with.”
She also explained that when it comes to sex trafficking, “people have a difficult time in understanding when someone is being sex trafficked … it’s hard for people because there was a long relationship with one of the victims. We’re talking about an 11-year relationship where someone is not saying no, never saying no, and actually actively agreeing to it and saying, ‘I really want to do this with you.'”
Hostin was referring to Diddy’s longtime ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, who testified against him in the trial. “I think with eight men on the jury and four women, what man is going to find him guilty of that and understand that no is no and yes is yes, and sort of the blurred lines between them?” she wondered. “It’s a power dynamic and I don’t think the government did a good job at explaining domestic violence and how yes can mean no. They just didn’t.”
Perhaps her most shocking comment, though, was when she said, “I will say, having been a federal prosecutor, I am a little dismayed by the fact that the judge kept Sean Combs in prison [while awaiting trial].” Whoopi Goldberg immediately questioned why Hostin felt this way.
“He said because there was proof of domestic violence that society couldn’t be protected from him. I think that’s the wrong thing,” Hostin insisted. “It’s not a flight risk because all you have to do is sort of figure out how to keep that person here in the United States. You take away a person’s passport, very hefty bond, take away his plane.”
She also predicted that Combs “absolutely won’t get 20 years” and pointed out that Diddy has already spend 10 months behind bars. “He’s been in detention, he’s been a porter cleaning bathrooms, which means he’ll get good credit,” she added.
Goldberg pointed out, “He also could get pardoned by you-know-who [Donald Trump].”
The women ended the segment with Ana Navarro thanking the women who took the stand to testify against Diddy. “They should not ever be afraid to come forward,” she confirmed, with Goldberg adding, “Don’t get discouraged.”
After Navarro slammed the “enablers” who “helped him do this for decades,” Goldberg continued, “You can only tell people what’s right and wrong. You can’t make them do it. They will have to live with the knowledge of what they enabled and okayed and face their families who are gonna say, ‘Why didn’t you do something?’ The burden’s going to be really tough on him [in future civil cases] because everybody now knows.”
Navarro concluded, “If I run into him in Miami, I’m going viral.”
The View, Weekdays, 11 a.m. ET, AB
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services