ABC has defended "The View" co-host Raven-Symoné in response to a petition that called for her resignation from the daytime talk show after she defended the South Carolina police officer who flipped a black female high school out of her desk and dragged her from a classroom.
Last week, Symoné was the center of controversy after she moderately defended Deputy Officer Ben Fields and said the teenage girl might have deserved what happened to her.
"We love Raven. She is confidant, genuine and opinionated, all qualities that make her a great addition to the panel," an ABC spokesperson said of Symoné, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The Change.com petition titled "Petition to Remove Raven Symoné from 'The View'" is addressed to Executive Producer Barbara Walters and calls the "That's So Raven" star "ignorant" and "self hating."
"The girl was told multiple times to get off the phone," Symoné said. "There's no right or reason for him to be doing this type of harm - that's ridiculous - but at the same time, you gotta follow the rules in school. First of all, why are there cellphones in school? This shouldn't even be a problem to begin with, and he shouldn't have been acting like that on top of it."
"The View" co-host is known for her controversial comments. Last month, she caught heat after she said she would never hire someone with a "ghetto" name.
"I'm not about to hire you if your name is Watermelondrea. It's just not going to happen," she said.
The petition seeking her dismissal from "The View" has been signed more than 120,000 times.
