ABC Explains Why Raven-Symoné Won’t Be Fired From ‘The View,’ Responds To Fan Petition

ABC is well aware that more than 100,000 people have signed a petition asking for Raven-Symoné to be fired from "The View." The network recently responded to the backlash, and said the 29-year-old actress would not be replaced.

In a statement to E! Online, ABC said it loves how "confident, genuine and opinionated" Raven-Symoné is.

"[They are] all qualities that make her a great addition to the panel," an ABC executive said.

As previously reported, the former Disney star found herself at the center of another controversy last week following comments she made about the Spring Valley High School assault video in South Carolina, in which Officer Ben Fields was seen dragging a black student out of her chair. While Raven-Symoné said she thought the officer’s actions were "ridiculous," she chastised the teenage girl for supposedly being on her phone in the classroom.

“We don’t know if she popped off at the mouth, what she said, but she did not get up,” Raven said. "[The officer] talked to her for 30 seconds and she still didn’t get up. … She still didn’t put the phone away. You do not need to be manhandling a child that way, but at the same time kids – put your phones away.”

Shortly after the episode aired, fans lashed out at Raven-Symoné on Twitter for seeming to support the officer. One fan even started a petition on Change.org, addressed to Barbara Walters, asking for the co-host to be booted from the daytime talk show.

This is the second time in recent months that Raven-Symoné has come under fire for comments she made on "The View." Last month, she issued an apology after she upset viewers by saying she wouldn't hire someone with a "ghetto" name.