'The View' Defends Alec Baldwin in Wake of Tragic Accidental Shooting

The View panel is standing behind Alec Baldwin after the tragic accidental on-set shooting that resulted in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza. Thursday, while filming Baldwin's upcoming movie Rust, the actor discharged a prop weapon towards the camera, according to police documents, but the gun actually contained live ammunition in a serious safety lapse on set. 

In Monday's episode of The View, Sunny Hostin noted that some people, including Republican Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert and Donald Trump Jr. — whom the panelist referred to as "ghouls" — have been using the tragedy to mock Baldwin.  "You know, a woman died here. A woman who was a mother, a wife, someone who was, they say, just wonderful at her craft. A cinematographer, just starting," Hostin said. "When you have people like that coming out, trying to, I don't know, take some sort of opportunity and a shot at Alec Baldwin — I thought that that was pretty disgusting and despicable."

Trump Jr. began advertising Sunday a shirt his followers could purchase through his store that read, "Guns don't kill people, Alec Baldwin kills people." After receiving backlash for the design, the link to purchase the shirts was taken down as of Monday morning, but Trump Jr. still kept an edited image of Baldwin wearing the shirt on his Instagram Story. The son of the former president also reported a meme to his Story that suggested "Trump play Baldwin in a skit shooting someone 'accidentally'...."

Boebert, a pro-gun advocate in Congress, was denounced by former communication director for Donald Trump and The View guest host Alyssa Farah after Boebert shared a seven-year-old tweet from Baldwin in support of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old Black man who was killed by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. In 2014, Baldwin tweeted, "I'm going to make bright, yellow banana yellow t-shirts that read 'my hands are up. Please don't shoot me.' Who wants one?" 

Boebert added alongside a screenshot of the tweet, "Are these still available? Asking for a movie producer..." Farah was quick to slam Boebert, tweeting in response, "If you're going to tout your Christian faith, how about trying to have some empathy and grace over a tragedy? Don't remember the part of the gospel that says 'anything for RTs.'"