In a fiery and unhinged segment on “The View,” co-host Whoopi Goldberg took aim at her own network, ABC, over a controversial decision to include convicted felon Anna Sorokin in the upcoming season of *Dancing with the Stars*. Sorokin, who gained infamy for conning New York’s elite by pretending to have a vast fortune, will be competing on the show—ankle bracelet and all. Goldberg’s outburst highlighted a growing frustration among many who see Sorokin’s appearance as a slap in the face to law-abiding citizens and a troubling example of how celebrity culture rewards bad behavior.
As background, Sorokin, whose elaborate con inspired the Netflix series *Inventing Anna*, was convicted of defrauding banks, hotels, and high-society figures in New York. After serving 17 months in prison, she was released in October 2022 and has been on house arrest since. Despite her criminal past, ABC has greenlighted her participation on *Dancing with the Stars*, a move that many—Goldberg included—view as a gross display of hypocrisy.
Goldberg didn’t hold back her outrage, particularly targeting ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). She pointed out that Sorokin, a convicted criminal and foreign national, was being given the green light to compete on a national television show, while other immigrants face harsh penalties for much less. “I think back to the families who have had family members arrested by ICE who have gone to the courts to get their dad or their brother or their mother back, and this woman, they gave her permission to go do this,” Goldberg fumed. “Now, should I think there’s a reason? Is there a two-tiered system here with ICE?”
Co-host Joy Behar, true to form, chimed in with a quip, suggesting Sorokin’s looks were the reason she was given special treatment, saying, “She’s pretty.” Goldberg, unfazed by the comment, continued her rant: “I’m listening to people [complain] about what’s going on at the border, and I’m listening to people [complain] about all these people who shouldn’t be here, well, what the hell, man? How does this work?”
Goldberg’s frustrations didn’t stop with ICE. She turned her ire directly at ABC, calling the decision to let Sorokin compete a “big slap” in the face to immigrants who struggle to remain in the country legally. In a bold move that surprised even her fellow co-hosts, Goldberg blasted her own network: “We’ve got to support the network, I get all of that, but it is a big slap in the face of a lot of people who’ve been trying to make their way back to this country.”
Fellow co-host Sunny Hostin echoed Goldberg’s sentiments, highlighting Sorokin’s numerous crimes and questioning how the convicted con artist ended up on a hit TV show. “When you think about it, she defrauded so many people and then spent two years in prison, and then had to spend another 18 months in prison for overstaying her visa,” Hostin said. “She committed another crime and what is the consequence of it? A bejeweled ankle monitor and a spot on a television show.”
Hostin also touched on the racial dynamics at play, implying Sorokin’s white privilege played a role in her continued media presence. She reminded viewers that Sorokin received a hefty $300,000 payday from Netflix for her story, which only adds fuel to the fire for those who see this situation as a glaring example of the left’s selective outrage.
While *The View* hosts may be up in arms, the real story here is the growing disconnect between Hollywood’s elites and the average American. Once again, we see the left-leaning media celebrating criminals while ignoring the hardworking citizens who follow the rules. If the liberal establishment wants to know why Americans are fed up, they need look no further than the absurdity of rewarding con artists like Anna Sorokin.
