The View audience rebukes host Sunny Hostin for comparing Raquel Welch to Kim Kardashian

Sunny Hostin’s recent Kim Kardashian comment on The View was not received well by the show’s studio audience.

On Thursday’s (16 February) episode of the American chat show, co-host Whoopi Goldberg took a moment to pay tribute to the late “sex symbol” Raquel Welch, who died on Wednesday (15 February) at the age of 82.

“Sail on, Raquel. Sail on,” Goldberg said, followed by Joy Behar, who observed: “You know, they don’t make any sex symbols like that. I don’t know any present [sex symbols].”

“Well, Kim Kardashian is kind of a sex symbol,” Hostin argued.

A loud and collective “no” from the audience could be heard in response, with fellow host Behar saying: “Kardashian? No!”

Putting her hand to her heart, a stunned Hostin feigned offence, while Behar laughingly quipped: “The audience is turning! You all are harsh!”

“That’s not even, you can’t even put them in the same...,” Goldberg trailed off. “I’m moving on.”

Hostin, 54, has often shared divisive opinions on the show.

Last summer, after the US Supreme Court overturned the 1973 landmark Roe v Wade decision, which initially protected abortion rights, the host expressed her “radical” pro-life stance, saying she doesn’t “believe in abortion at any time”.

Months later, Hostin defended Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine who had been accused of cheating on his wife, model Behati Prinsloo. He has since denied having “an affair”, but admitted he “crossed the line”.

“It’s not like he was like, ‘Meet me at five o’clock so we can get it on.’ It wasn’t like that,” Hostin said at the time. “It was an emotional cheating – which I would burn all of Manny’s [Emmanuel, Hostin’s husband] clothes for. But this is different.

“He made a mistake and he’s a rockstar,” she added.

The View airs weekdays at 11am EST on ABC.