On The View, Ana Navarro and her cohosts took issue with Janet Jackson’s controversial comments about Vice President Kamala Harris’ racial identity, which were recently published in The Guardian. Jackson, in the interview, claimed she had heard Harris was “not Black,” which prompted the View panel to express shock and frustration over the misinformation.
Ana Navarro criticized Jackson for spreading false information, highlighting that it echoed Donald Trump’s past racially charged remarks about Harris. Navarro said, “It was Donald Trump who tried to say Kamala Harris just turned Black.” She further emphasized the responsibility that comes with having a large platform and accused Jackson of carelessly perpetuating a baseless allegation.
Navarro, along with Alyssa Farah Griffin and Sara Haines, pointed out how misinformation can spread easily in today’s media landscape, particularly in echo chambers created by social media algorithms. Haines stressed that Jackson violated basic principles of journalism by relying on a single source, while Griffin remarked that Jackson might not have been informed by reliable media outlets.
Sunny Hostin, who is biracial herself, noted that multiracial individuals, like Harris, have the right to identify as they choose. Hostin also underscored that Harris has publicly identified as a Black woman while honoring her Asian heritage, dismissing Jackson’s comments as irrelevant to Harris’ lived identity.
Despite the cohosts’ criticisms, Whoopi Goldberg offered a more forgiving take on Jackson’s remarks, asking for “a little grace” for the pop star, who she reminded viewers is not a political figure and is mourning the recent death of her brother, Tito Jackson.
The controversy sparked widespread backlash against Jackson, with some drawing comparisons to Trump’s previous racial remarks about Harris. Reports also emerged that a staffer associated with Jackson was fired for allegedly releasing an unauthorized statement about the comments. However, a source told Entertainment Weekly that the person in question was never employed by Jackson.
