Politics

Sunny Hostin Confronts Salon Owner Shelley Luther Over Uptick In Texas Coronavirus Cases

Virginia Kruta Associate Editor
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Sunny Hostin blamed the recent uptick in Texas coronavirus cases on people like Shelley Luther, the salon owner who defied stay-at-home orders to reopen.

Hostin made the comments to Luther directly during a Monday segment of ABC’s “The View.” (RELATED: Sunny Hostin Praises McEnany For Holding Press Conferences, Then Immediately Accuses Her Of Lying)

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“Shelley, coronavirus cases are already rising in Texas and across the country where restrictions have been lifted, and you’re worried about your staff and your customers,” Hostin began. “I mean, I would assume you’re worried about your staff and your customers getting sick since there’s now an uptick because of people not following the rules like yourself.”

Luther responded by saying that the rise in cases was attributable in part to the fact that there was more widespread testing available. “What we need to look at is the number of deaths, if that is plateauing at all, and to make sure that we have room in our hospital beds, and Texas has plenty of room in their beds and are able to care for the people that need to come in at this time,” she said. “As a matter of fact, there’s doctors and nurses getting furloughed because there’s not enough work.”

Co-host Whoopi Goldberg jumped in then, saying that she understood why Luther had chosen to reopen but criticizing her for defying regulations rather than blaming the government for not helping more people.

“I would like to hear you put some of that fury and that passion towards the governments that didn’t take care of the people because that’s what they’re supposed to do,” Goldberg explained. “So I want you to get out there and fight for all those folks who are not getting what they’re supposed to be getting, and not getting the information that they need, and then I think I’ll feel better about watching you tell people I’m feeding my people.”

Luther reopened her salon in late April after her stylists, who sublease their chairs from her, said that they were no longer able to make ends meet without income. She was initially sentenced to seven days in jail for violating stay-at-home orders, with an additional seven days added for her refusal to admit that reopening her salon was “selfish.” (The latter punishment was intended to be served concurrently with her other sentencing.)

Several Texas state officials stepped in after she was sentenced and eventually Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ordered her release.