Left-leaning political analyst and co-host of The View Sunny Hostin had an ironic and unexpected moment on PBS’s Finding Your Roots.
As a vocal supporter of slavery reparations, Hostin was taken aback to discover that her own family tree dates back to Spanish slave owners.
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The show’s 55-year-old host, who is well-known for his far-left opinions, struggled with a significant personal revelation during the episode.
Hostin, who proudly traces her ancestry to both Puerto Rico and Africa, has always drawn inspiration and consolation from the struggle for civil rights and her Puerto Rican heritage.
Hostin’s mother ancestors were not the valiant liberation fighters she had thought them to be, as revealed by Henry Louis Gates Jr. in the PBS series. They actually owned slaves in Spain.
Hostin’s third great-grandfather, Fermín, was revealed to have owned slaves, according to Daily Mail. Fermín was the son of a Spanish merchant who was probably involved in the slave trade. It was also discovered that Hostin is only 7 percent native to Puerto Rico.
“Wow, I’m a little bit in shock. I just always thought of myself as half Puerto Rican. I didn’t think my family was originally from Spain and slaveholders,” she said.
“I think it’s actually pretty interesting that my husband and I have shared roots, so I do appreciate that, and I think it’s great for our children to know this information.”
“I guess it’s a fact of life that this is how some people made their living, on the backs of others.”
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“I had no idea the Spanish roots to this extent. I’m still sort of shocked at the depth of the ties,” Hostin added.
This is her reaction upon learning the news:
“The View” described Hostin’s personal journey, which included her chat with her mother Rosa Beza, who identifies as Black despite her European heritage.
“It was really disappointing because my mother considered herself to be of Puerto Rican descent. On Thursday’s episode of The View, Hostin informed her co-hosts, “She was deeply ingrained in Black culture and part of the civil rights movement.”
Public interest was piqued by Hostin’s unexpected ancestry discovery, which resulted in a barrage of messages regarding her position on reparations. Hostin replied with assurance that she still thought reparations were important.
“I still believe this country has a lot to do in terms of racial justice. But what I will say, Sara, to your question is that I feel that I’m enriched by knowing that history,” Hostin said.
“And I’m enriched by knowing that my family has come so far from being enslavers to my mother marrying my father in 1968. I feel enriched by it.”
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