NEWSCynthia Erivo Confronts Sunny Hostin Over Cornell 7 Backlash, Urges Her to 'Lead With Empathy' in Stern Phone Call
Cynthia Erivo called Sunny Hostin amid the backlash over Hostin's controversial Cornell comments.
Oct. 6 2026, Published 3:10 p.m. ET
Sunny Hostin revealed that Cynthia Erivo called her amid the backlash over her controversial comments about the alleged Cornell sexual assault case.
The View cohost said Erivo, her friend and fellow sorority sister, urged her to approach the discussion differently after seeing a clip of Hostin's take on the situation.
Cynthia Erivo Called Sunny Hostin From Paris
Sunny Hostin said Cynthia Erivo felt the controversial clip did not 'reflect who you are.'
Hostin, 57, opened up about the conversation during October 5's episode of Behind the Table, explaining that Erivo, 39, reached out while she was in Paris working on a movie about consent and sexual assault.
"She called me and said, 'Sis, I know you and I know your heart and your life's work has been about protecting women and children. But, the clip that I saw doesn't reflect who you are,'" Hostin recalled.
"She then said, 'I'm a blunt person and you are a blunt person.' That's why we get along so well, because we get the B- out when we talk to each other," the co-host added.
According to Hostin, Erivo explained that she has learned to be more mindful of how she delivers her opinions.
"She said she's had to learn to give people her opinion in a way that they can receive it rather than just be blunt," Hostin expressed.
Sunny Hostin spoke on October 5's episode of 'Behind the Table.'
Cynthia Erivo Told Sunny Hostin To 'Lead With Empathy'
Cynthia Erivo urged Sunny Hostin to 'lead with empathy' during a blunt phone conversation.
"Instead of leading with the law, I need to lead with empathy so that people can receive the message about the law," Hostin said the Wicked star told her.
"That's why the next time we talked about it, I led with that so that people would be able to receive the facts that, in New York, if you're voluntarily intoxicated you'd have to be completely passed out, affirmatively say no, or you would have to be drugged involuntarily to prove sexual assault," the host shared.
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'I Led With the Law'
Sunny Hostin said she initially spoke about the Cornell 7 with the law in mind.
"I see things, when it comes to the law, sort of black-and-white. I apply the facts as I know them to the law," Hostin explained during Behind the Table.
"It's my job, in a sense, on this panel. When I first talked about this topic on the panel, I led with the law. Because everyone else had spoken emotionally about it," she continued.
Sunny Hostin Defends Her Initial Comments
Sunny Hostin defended her legal analysis of the Cornell sexual assault case.
Hostin faced backlash after discussing the allegations involving a woman identified as Jane Doe and seven members of Cornell University's Chi Phi fraternity.
"I was accused of defending these young men, and victim-shaming, which is something I would never do since I spent the majority of my career prosecuting s-- crimes," Hostin told Behind the Table producer Brian Teta.
"So, I was kind of fascinated by the way people received the information that I gave, which was ultimately the law in New York must be changed because the bar is so very high," she said.
"In New York, once someone is voluntarily intoxicated, to prove sexual assault. It's already beyond a reasonable doubt, and then you add that on to it, the burden becomes so high. It's almost impossible to prove sexual assault," Hostin detailed.
