Raven-Symoné Admits Discrimination Comment Was In “Poor Taste”

Raven-Symoné doesn't often backtrack from her controversial comments, but even she had to cry foul on this one. Last week, The View co-panelist drew ire when she said she would decide not to hire someone based on their name. "I’m not about to hire you if your name is Watermelondrea," the outspoken actress said during Friday's show. "It’s just not going to happen. I’m not going to hire you." Many found her remarks to be discriminatory, and it appears the fallout has prompted the former child star to reconsider her position. She shared a post clarifying her comments on Facebook yesterday. "My comments about discrimination have spun out of control," she wrote. "I'd like to begin by saying that I was not attacking a specific race, but repeating a name that was said in a viral video which has received over 2 million likes. "I have been denied many jobs because of my skin color, body size, and age. Each time I was rejected, my self-esteem was negatively effected, so I empathize with those who feel victimized by what I said. We would hope that when it comes to hiring, our names, physical appearance, sexual orientation, and age would never outweigh our qualifications, but often times, they do, thats the truth and it sucks. But I should not be part of the problem, I should be part of the solution. "As an equal-opportunity employer, I have never discriminated against a name...even though I said I would, it's not true. My comment was in poor taste. My lack of empathy towards name discrimination was uncalled for." In related news, Raven-Symoné's own father, Christopher B. Pearman, is also calling his daughter out for, in his words, "saying some dumb shit." "I certainly don't agree with what she said," he wrote on Facebook, "but she is damn near 30 years old. She's a grown-ass woman making grown-ass mistakes." At least she's finally owning up to them. Also, can she please bring her dad on TV? We need to meet this guy.