Cynthia Erivo Called Sunny Hostin Over Cornell Case Comments

Sunny Hostin, co-host of "The View," revealed that actress Cynthia Erivo called her from Paris to discuss Hostin's on-air comments about the alleged sexual assault case at Cornell University.

Hostin, a former federal prosecutor, had stated on air that the alleged 2024 rape was being reported "inaccurately and unfairly." She explained on "The View's" "Behind the Table" podcast that the accuser's original police statement, which mentioned voluntary intoxication and snorting ketamine, presented a high legal bar for proving sexual assault in New York.

"The bar is so very high in New York once someone is voluntarily intoxicated to prove sexual assault," Hostin said on the podcast. "It's- it's already beyond a reasonable doubt, and then you add that onto it, the burden becomes so high - you can't... It's almost impossible to prove sexual assault."

According to Hostin, Erivo, who is working on a film about consent and sexual assault, reached out after seeing a clip of Hostin's remarks. Hostin described Erivo as a "good friend" and noted their shared sorority affiliation.

"She called me and said, 'Sis, I know you, and I know your heart, and I know your life's work has been about protecting women and children. But the clip that I saw doesn't reflect who you are,'" Hostin recalled. Erivo advised Hostin to "lead with empathy" before presenting legal analysis so that the message about the law could be better received.

Hostin stated that Erivo's advice prompted her to slightly adjust her approach to discussing the case. "She said that I 'need to, instead of leading with the law, I need to lead with empathy,' so that people can receive the law - the message about the law," Hostin explained.

During the broadcast in question, Hostin had also noted that if the incident had been investigated in Washington D.C. rather than New York, the case might have gone to trial. "I would have prosecuted this case like I prosecuted a lot of sex crimes," she added, emphasizing the importance of jurisdiction in building a criminal case.

The civil complaint details that the accuser, identified as Jane Doe, was 20 years old and had been drinking at her sorority house and local bars before visiting a fraternity member's room on October 19, 2024. The suit alleges that fraternity members provided her with more alcohol and encouraged her to snort ketamine, after which she was allegedly sexually assaulted while incapable of consent.

The complaint further states that text messages sent within the fraternity's group chat indicated others were invited to join in the alleged assault. According to the lawsuit, multiple fraternity members entered the room, with some kissing Doe without consent and others instructing her to take more of the drug and continuing the assault.

The Tompkins County District Attorney's office had previously ruled there was "insufficient evidence to support criminal charges" when the case was first reviewed in November 2024. However, the civil complaint prompted a renewed look at the claims.

Cornell University confirmed that disciplinary actions, including expulsions and suspensions, were issued to some of the students involved. Doe's attorney has expressed suspicion that the initial investigation was inadequate, a sentiment Hostin shared, noting that standard procedures like having an SVU investigator and victim witness advocate present were not followed in the initial review.