Raven-Symoné floored co-host Whoopi Goldberg on “The View” by admitting she wouldn’t hire someone with a “ghetto black name.”

The ladies of the ABC show were discussing a study on Friday’s program that said Americans make racist assumptions based on names. When a video clip was played showing kids repeating some exaggerated names, Raven-Symoné dropped the bombshell.

“Just to bring it back, can we take back ‘racist’ and say ‘discriminatory,’ because I think that’s a better word,” Raven-Symoné said.

Whoopi was all for the suggestion — but her co-host wasn’t finished.

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“And I am very discriminatory against words like the ones that they were saying in the video,” Raven-Symoné added. “I’m not about to hire you if your name is Watermelondrea. It’s just not going to happen. I’m not going to hire you.”

(Watermelondrea is the name of a YouTube character portrayed by Tré Melvin.)

Whoopi was taken aback, clutching her chest in a mock gesture.

https://twitter.com/RonnieSnark/status/652486032554725376

As it turns out, Watermelondrea wasn’t pleased. Neither were a host of social media users, including Marc Lamont Hill, who summed things up well in a seemingly rare moment of rational thought, when he pointed out that Raven-Symoné has “a non traditional name AND appearance.”

Tune in Monday for the coming apology… here’s a sampling of responses from Twitter:

now back to this bitch who had a lot to say about me on the view today….@ravensymone wuts gud?? pic.twitter.com/TONjXnvAHO

— Watermelondrea Jones (@WatermelondreaJ) October 8, 2015

lookin like a pheonix talking bout she ain’t gon hire me. out here lookin like a low battery. charge ur weave sis pic.twitter.com/b2mXi9Z4PN

— Watermelondrea Jones (@WatermelondreaJ) October 8, 2015

Raven seems to see no irony in supporting discrimination against non-traditional names while having a non traditional name AND appearance.

— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) October 9, 2015

@marclamonthill Not to mention, by the way, a sexual orientation some consider nontraditional. No self-awareness, at all.

— Myron B. Pitts (@FOmyronpitts) October 9, 2015

@marclamonthill a walking contradiction

— Yvonne (@Groovonne) October 9, 2015

New piece: Raven-Symone must’ve forgot her name is “Raven-Symone” http://t.co/KzC6VfVx2m

— Jamilah Lemieux (@JamilahLemieux) October 9, 2015

Raven-Symoné name hits for the hood name cycle. It has two capital letters, a hyphen, alternative spelling choice, and an unnecessary accent

— Black Guy Emeritus (@ReverendDrDash) October 9, 2015

@ReverendDrDash preaching that truth about self hating Raven-Symone’s ugly looking, cock a doodle do weave wearing pic.twitter.com/812nNGZZlB

— TOns (@nichSamz) October 9, 2015

Raven-Symone used to be so adorable. Now, she’s so ignorant it’s embarrassing.

— Bar Bae (@lotyslove) October 9, 2015

That Raven-Symoné used “Watermelonisha” as an example of a “black name” shows you how deep the internalized racism and self-hatred goes.

— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) October 9, 2015

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Tom Tillison

Senior Staff Writer
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The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.

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