'The View' Loses Advertisers Over Controversial Comments About Nurses While Miss Colorado Defends Monologue
More bad news for The View.
The ABC daytime talk show is losing major advertisers, including Johnson & Johnson, and Eggland's Best, in the wake of comments made about nurses by its co-hosts on Monday's show while they were talking about the recent Miss America pageant.
"Johnson & Johnson values and appreciates nurses and we respect the critical role they play in our healthcare system," the company said on its Facebook page. "We disagree with recent comments on daytime television about the nursing profession, and we have paused our advertising accordingly."
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Johnson & Johnson values and appreciates nurses and we respect the critical role they play in our healthcare system. We...
Posted by Johnson & Johnson on Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Meanwhile, Eggland's Best announced it was cutting ties in a statement on the company website, writing, " Eggland’s Best appreciates nurses and values the important role they play in family health. In light of the comments about the nursing profession recently made on daytime television we will no longer be advertising on the show in question."
While appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (airing today), nurse Kelley Johnson, who appeared as Miss Colorado in the televised pageant, defended her choice to do a monologue as part of the talent portion of the competition, in which she shared her experience working with an Alzeimier's patient.
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"My talent is taking care of people, and caring about other people," she said. "I thought, 'You know, I want to go up there and I want to be authentic. I want to be Kelley.'"
"And if I’m ever going to win Miss America, I want to do it being myself," Kelley added. "And I’m a nurse!"
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On Wednesday, The View hosts apologized for the controversy. Co-host Michelle Collins said, "We love nurses. We adore you. We respect you. You guys are wonderful. You’re the most compassionate people. I was not talking about nurses, we were talking about the talent competition, and it got misconstrued."
Meanwhile, co-host Joy Behar said she was "just not paying attention," adding, "I was looking at a Miss America tape, and there’s a woman wearing an outfit with a stethoscope, and I’m thinking is she in a costume?"
"I didn’t know she was a nurse," she added. "I’m used to seeing them in gowns and bathing suits."