Raven-Symoné Says She Was ‘Catfished’ When Asked to Join ‘the View’

• Raven-Symoné appeared in an interview on Them’s YouTube channel Thursday. 
• She discussed her stint on “The View,” saying she’d never cohost the talk show again. 
• Symoné joined “The View” in June 2015 before announcing her departure in October 2016. 

Raven-Symoné says she was “catfished” when asked to join the cast of ABC’s daytime talk show, “The View.” 

The “Raven’s Home” actress shared her opinion during an interview with Them published on the outlet’s YouTube channel Thursday. Symoné, 36, touched on her time as a cohost on “The View,” which according to Deadline, spanned from June 2015 to October 2016. 

Symoné told the outlet that she “enjoyed” her time on the show, but said she wouldn’t cohost again. 

“First of all, they told me this wasn’t going to be politically oriented when they revamped it. So catfished for one,” she said. “Two, me coming out wasn’t a part of that.”

Symoné, who publicly came out in 2013, explained that she often hid that part of herself while on the talk show. In a June 2019 interview with Variety, she said that her coming out journey faced pushback from the entertainment industry, prompting her to avoid discussing her sexuality for the sake of her career.

“Like I said, when I started, I pretended like I didn’t even say anything. Like it wasn’t a part of my identity,” she told Them, referring to coming out. “I went right back to that other person. I’m used to hiding. I’m used to hiding myself. So it was easy to hide in plain view.” 

In June 2020, Symoné announced her marriage to Miranda Maday with a now-deleted Instagram post. 

“I got married to a woman who understands me from trigger to joy, from breakfast to midnight snack, from stage to home,” the now-deleted caption read. “I love you Mrs. Pearman-Maday! Let’s tear this world a new asshole!!! I’s married NOW.” 

In another part of her interview with Them, Symoné added that she learned “massive lessons” during her time on “The View.” 

“It is a skill to be on live television and voice your opinions,” she continued. “I apologized multiple times for the things that came out of my mouth, and I still am learning from them, but I did grow up.”