In a cooking segment on The View, Sunny Hostin “almost died” after accidentally sampling a recipe from Debbie Matenopoulos’ new Greek cookbook, Greek.ish.
Matenopoulos was one of the original co-hosts on The View when it premiered in 1997, alongside Barbara Walters, Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, and Joy Behar. Formerly an MTV production assistant, Matenopoulos was asked to be the youngest co-host on Walters’ new talk show until 1999, when the show decided not to renew her contract.
Matenopoulos recently told Page Six Radio that she’s in talks to join the next season of Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
Last Wednesday, Matenopoulos visited her old set and had the hosts try the Orzo salad, which contained chickpeas, tomatoes, and walnuts. Walnuts are what Hostin is deathly allergic to, and she discreetly panicked while trying to notify her co-host, Alyssa Farah Griffin.
Hostin, 56, explained on Friday’s show:
“She has this wonderful food, Greek food. And I have a terrible allergy to walnuts. As I'm eating the food, Alyssa asks, 'Are those walnuts in here?' And she says 'yes.' So I panic immediately.”
You can see Hostin write a note to Griffin once she realized what's happened.
- YouTubeThe View/YouTube
After notifying Griffin of the allergy, she motioned to the show’s executive producer, Brian Teta, who asked, “Everything okay?” Hostin quipped, “No, it’s not.”
Luckily, the medical team was able to assist Hostin after the segment by administering an EpiPen.
Thanking the team, Hostin said:
“Our Disney nurses are like superheroes. Nurse Jan came in with an EpiPen. She was testing me. I had Benadryl… I was scared.”
Hostin hasn’t had the issue in over ten years, as she often forgets to report dietary restrictions unless her husband or children remind her. Griffin hilariously admitted that she couldn’t read Hostin’s note at first and thought she was writing about a pair of Gucci shoes. Hostin thanked her and the crew for remaining calm in the moment, despite her own panic.
You can watch her recount what happened:
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
Fans commiserated with Hostin’s predicament.
@SocialClout/YouTube
@PrincessMJ44/YouTube
@Sbannmarie/YouTube
@jtfergu/YouTube
Asunción “Sunny” Cummings Hostin is a senior legal correspondent and analyst for ABC News and became a permanent co-host of The View in September 2016. She is currently an executive producer on The Counsel, inspired by her experiences as a federal prosecutor and in politics.
She has also written her own series of fiction books, including the New York Times bestseller Summer on the Bluffs, Summer on Sag Harbor, and Summer on Highland Beach.