Raven-Symoné opened up about her time on “The View” during the Oct. 12 episode of “The View: Behind the Table.”
“The View: Behind the Table” is an ABC News special podcast that includes current and former co-hosts discussing the talk show’s controversial moments.
Symoné explained in the podcast — which also featured Candace Cameron Bure — how she felt she was “catfished” when pitched the idea of joining the show. She became a part of the series in 2015 during its 18th season and left the following year.
The actress claimed that she was told the show would be more pop culture-based rather than political. “I got catfished. I feel like I just got catfished. I thought I was going on a show, like Candace, where it was pop culture and fun and exciting, and I got catfished, and I learned a good lesson.” She also added that she didn’t know much about politics prior to joining the show.
Symoné went on to discuss how specific topics on “The View” put immense pressure on her because she was the only person on the panel that represented the LGBTQ+ community. “Outwardly, the pressure I felt was the LGBTQ+ community, because I was the only one on the panel with that label. And I’m not a fan of holding an entire community on my shoulders, because again … even in your own community, people will get mad at you.”
She continued, “And so, on an everyday basis, I knew what I was there for — to represent that slice of life, but when I was speaking, I blacked that part out, because I knew that it would inhibit me from being myself.”
Symoné wrapped up her statement by saying the “only reason” why she could get through “a lot” of her controversial moments, which included racially inclined conversations, was because of her co-host Whoopi Goldberg.
“The only reason I really got through a lot of the stuff that I did get through was because of Whoopi and the producers as well.There is something amazing about behind the scenes of ‘The View’ that kind of puts the salve over all the BS that’s going on on camera that made it tolerable to stay as long as we did.”
Despite the numerous controversies Symoné was in during her stint on the show, she ultimately left “The View” at the end of 2016 after announcing that Disney was rebooting her former show “That’s So Raven.”
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