'The View' co-hosts issue mea culpa over nurse comment; Internet says it's not enough
LOS ANGLES -- Nurses, and fans of nurses around the country, did not get quite the apology they were hoping for from the nationally syndicated television show "The View."
The controversy began Monday when "The View" co-host Michelle Collins poked fun at a Miss America contestant.
Miss Colorado Kelley Johnson performed a monologue in which she talked about her profession as a nurse for the talent portion. Collins said the nurse's performance wasn't up to par.
“(She) basically read her emails out loud — and shockingly did not win.” Collins said Monday, adding “She helps patients with Alzheimer’s, which is not funny, but I swear, you had to see it.”
Joy Behar, another "The View" co-host, then added fuel to the fire.
“Why does she have a doctor’s stethoscope around her neck?”
Video of the segment is here, starting just before the 3-minute mark.
Nurses around the country showed their outrage at the allegedly insensitive comment, with multiple social media posts from nurses going viral.
On Wednesday, "The View" hosts responded to the outrage. Micheele Collins spoke first.
""I want to say, we love nurses, if you're watching, we adore you, respect you. Clap for the nurses. You are wonderful and the most compassionate people."
Then Behar spoke up:
"I was not paying attention. I was looking at a Miss America tape and there's a woman wearing like an outfit. And I'm thinking, is she in costume. I didn't know she was a nurse. I'm used to seeing them in gowns and bathing suits. It is not like I was trying to be funny. It was stupid and inattentive on my part."
However, most on the Internet did not take too kindly to the apology. Twitter erupted moments later.
On Wednesday, a majority of the posts on "The View's" Facebook page called for more.
"From the husband of a nurse: It wasn't misconstrued," Brandon Wilson said on the Facebook page. "The woman poured her heart out in a beautifully delivered monologue and YOU mocked her by saying she read her emails. NOTHING was misconstrued. Typical non-apology!"