Raven-Symone got her big break in 1989 as the adorable, dimpled Olivia on The Cosby
Show.
She used the show as a launchpad to other projects, including Hangin' With Mr. Cooper
and Eddie Murphy's Dr. Dolittle series, and of course, That's So Raven.
But since she's reached adulthood, the starlet hasn't done that much.
So, why has Hollywood dumped Raven-Symone?
She made a mess of The View
Raven-Symone's longest-running gig as an adult has been her panelist post on The View.
The problem, of course, is that she puts her foot in her mouth so often that it's almost
like she loves the taste of her own shoes — and that can send casting agents running
for the hills.
Her most infamous offense was in October 2015, when she jumped in on a segment about being
judged for one's name.
"And I'm very discriminatory against words like the ones that they were saying in those names.
I'm not about to hire you if your name is Watermelondrea.
That's just not going to happen.
I'm not about to hire you."
The backlash was huge.
Raven-Symone later apologized, writing on Facebook,
"My comments about discrimination have spun out of control.
I'd like to begin by saying that I was not attacking a specific race, but repeating a
name that was said in a viral video."
"As an equal opportunity employer, I have never discriminated against a name…even
though I said I would, it's not true.
My comment was in poor taste.
My lack of empathy towards name discrimination was uncalled for."
It wasn't the first time she'd made unusual comments about identity, however.
She doesn't want to be labeled
In a 2014 interview with Oprah, Raven-Symone declined to label her own sexuality, which
angered those who felt she could be an advocate for LGBTQ causes.
When Oprah asked her about a 2013 tweet she'd posted celebrating marriage equality, she
explained her stance.
"I don't want to be labeled gay, I want to be labeled a human who loves humans.
I'm tired of being labeled.
I'm an American, I'm not an African American.
I'm an American."
"Oh girl don't set the Twitter on fire."
Oprah was right.
She caused racial controversy
"What did you just say?
Stop, stop, stop the tape right now."
In the same discussion about identity, Raven-Symone threw Oprah for a loop when she continued
to discuss how she didn't want to be labeled by her race, either.
"I don't label myself."
"I have darker skin.
I have a nice, interesting grade of hair.
I connect with Caucasian, I connect with Asian, I connect with Black, I connect with Indian,
I connect with each culture."
Critics found that the statement came too easily from one of the highest-paid African
American women in Hollywood.
She made it worse by trying to explain herself yet again during a sit-down with E! News.
"I never said I wasn't black, I said I wasn't African American — to me that's a difference."
"I am from every continent in Africa except for one and I'm also from every continent
in Europe except for one."
That's...not what a continent is.
She didn't call out Bill Cosby
It's somewhat understandable why Raven-Symone would hesitate to call out former co-star
Bill Cosby on the sexual assault allegations against him.
But even when alleged proof came out, she still stood by him.
In 2014, she wrote on Instagram,
"I was NOT taken advantage of by Mr. Cosby when I was on The Cosby Show.
I was practically a baby on that show and this is truly a disgusting rumor that I want
no part of!
Everyone on that show treated me with nothing but kindness.
Now keep me out of this!"
Feminists were furious about her refusal to take a stance, but she explained herself on
The View.
"I don't really like to talk about it that much because he's the reason I'm on this panel
in the first place.
He gave me my first job.
But at the same time, you need the proof, and then I'll be able to give my judgment
here or there."
This was in 2015, and even though most former Cosby cast members have quietly distanced
themselves from the scandal, Raven-Symone was called out for actively distancing herself.
Hollywood can be sizeist
Raven-Symone struggled with both being too big and too small for Hollywood's standards.
She told People that execs told her to lose weight from a young age.
When she dropped 70 pounds and arrived on the set of her short-lived ABC Family sitcom
State Of Georgia in 2010, she said,
"They had to pad my outfits.
I finally lose weight, and the show wants me to be thicker!"
Still, she maintains a healthy outlook, explaining,
"I could look in the mirror and see me at 200 pounds or 135 pounds and I'm still the
same person."
Cheers to that.
How she can turn it around
In October 2016, Raven-Symone announced that she'd be leaving The View to produce and star
in a continuation of That's So Raven.
It's a smart move, given her past controversies that happen when she's not working from a
script.
But really, can anything she does from here on out be greater than this?
"I'm a woman, I know my stuff.
I'm a woman, I ain't never had enough."
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