South Carolina politician Nikki Haley attacked American television broadcaster Sunny Hostin for being “racist” regarding the latter’s name. The presenter of The View made some contentious remarks regarding Haley on the September 20 edition. This occurred during a conversation about probable presidential candidates for the 2024 elections against incumbent US President Joe Biden. After Hostin branded her a “chameleon,” Alyssa Farah Griffin suggested Nikki Haley as a prospective candidate, saying she had been an “extremely productive governor in South Carolina.”
Hostin proceeded to mock Haley, asking her what her true name was. The presenter, whose actual name is Asunción Cummings, seemed to imply that the former UN ambassador concealed her true identity in order to earn Republican support. After Griffin said that many individuals in the United States do not use their true names or the names were given to them at birth, Hostin responded:
“I believe this would be different if she leaned toward becoming someone of color.” Some of us may be chameleons, refusing to accept our ethnicity so that we can pass, so that we don’t have to go by—”
Soon after Sunny Hostin’s words went viral, Nikki Haley came to Twitter to slam her and brand her a “racist.” Nimrata Nikki Randhawa Haley is Nikki Haley’s full name. She was born in South Carolina on January 20, 1972, to Indian Punjabi Sikh parents Ajit Singh Randhawa and Raj Kaur Randhawa. In 1996, Nikki married Michael Haley.
Everything You Need to Know About Sunny Hostin
Sunny Hostin was born Asunción Cummings on October 20, 1968. She is the daughter of African-American William Cummings and Puerto Rican Rosa Beza. Hostin was up in New York City and attended Dominican Academy, an all-girls institution. She then attended Binghamton University, where she earned a degree in communications. Sunny Hostin changed her name on the recommendation of former Court TV anchor Nancy Grace, according to USA Today. Grace apparently couldn’t say Hostin’s name and said that no one would remember her. This prompted Hostin to change her name, which she regrets since it does not reflect her Latino roots.
She stated:
“I wish I could go back in time and change my mind.” If I hadn’t altered it, people may have mistakenly identified me as Afro Latina. It’s such an important part of who I am. My family does not like the nickname Sunny. My grandma, in particular, was furious.”
During her recent appearance on The View, Sunny’s co-host Sara Haines said that she, too, did not use her true name after the latter chastised Nikki Haley for doing the same.
She justified herself by saying:
“Due to our country’s under-education, most Americans cannot pronounce Asunción.” But, as Alyssa points out, individuals gravitate to various names for a variety of reasons.”
Sunny Hostin has yet to reply to Nikki Haley’s tweet.