Asunción Cummings Hostin (/ˈhɒstɪn/; born October 20, 1968), known professionally as Sunny Hostin, is an American lawyer, journalist, and television host. Hostin is co-host on ABC's morning talk show The View as well as the Senior Legal Correspondent and Analyst for ABC News. She is also the host and executive producer of Investigation Discovery's true crime series Truth About Murder with Sunny Hostin.
Early life[]
Hostin was born on October 20, 1968 in New York City to a Puerto Rican mother, Rosa Beza, and an African American father, William Cummings. Hostin was raised in The Bronx, New York City, attended the all-girls Dominican Academy, and is bilingual in English and Spanish. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English and Rhetoric from Binghamton University and her Juris Doctor from Notre Dame Law School.
Career[]
Hostin began her career as a law clerk to retired Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals Robert M. Bell and later became a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division. Hostin left the Antitrust Division to become a federal prosecutor, specializing in child sex crimes. Hostin was awarded a Special Achievement Award for her successful prosecution of sex offenders. Hostin was also a Managing Director of Business Intelligence and Investigations at Kroll, the world’s leading risk-consulting company, where she led groups of investigators all over the world to investigate and uncover fraud.
She began her television career as a commentator for Court TV and was then offered a spot on the Fox News program The O'Reilly Factor, where she appeared on the show's "Is It Legal?" segments, regularly debating with Bill O'Reilly and Megyn Kelly. CNN President Jon Klein signed her to the network in September 2007 as the legal analyst for its flagship morning show American Morning. In 2014, Hostin began frequently appearing as a guest contributor on the ABC daytime talk show The View. Also in 2014, she appeared as a contestant on the Mother’s Day edition of Food Network’s Chopped. She was eliminated in the final round, but returned the next year for the Amateurs Redemption episode, which she also did not win. In 2015, Hostin participated in a TEDx Talk titled A Possibility Model that details the effects of an early trauma. In March 2016, it was announced that Hostin was joining ABC News as Senior Legal Correspondent and analyst. She became a permanent co-host of The View beginning the show's twentieth season in September 2016. In 2017, Hostin made a cameo appearance as herself in the comedy film Girls Trip.
In 2019, Hostin hosted and executive produced the six-episode documentary series Truth About Murder With Sunny Hostin on Investigation Discovery, on which she travels to various parts of the US to explore the stories behind some of the nation’s most notorious homicides. She also hosted a podcast titled Have You Seen This Man?, produced by ABC. Hostin released I Am These Truths, a memoir, in 2020. The following year, she released a novel, titled Summer on the Bluffs. The book will be adapted into a television series. Hostin is also set to executive produce The Counsel, a drama television series inspired by her life and career.
Personal life[]
Hostin is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She is married to orthopedic surgeon Emmanuel Hostin. They have two children, Gabriel and Paloma. The family resides in Purchase, New York.