Is Whoopi Goldberg Blaming Women For Domestic Violence? ‘The View’ Host Defends Stephen A. Smith

The debate, that started on ESPN by Stephen A. Smith, about domestic violence continues. As previously reported Smith came under fire for comments he made last week about domestic violence during his reaction to NFL running back Ray Rice’s two-game suspension for allegedly knocking out his wife.

He made it clear that it is not okay for men to become physical with women, but his comments about women ensuring that they do not provoke actions were criticized. 

We keep talking about the guys. We know you have no business putting your hands on a woman…But what I’ve tried to employ the female members of my family…and this what, I’ve done this all my life,‘Let’s make sure we don’t do anything to provoke wrong actions.’ Because if I come, or somebody else comes, whether it’s law enforcement officials, your brother or the fellas that you know, if we come after somebody has put their hands on you, it doesn’t negate the fact that they already put their hands on you. So let’s try to make sure that we can do our part in making sure that that doesn’t happen.

On Monday, Whoopi Goldberg defended Smith on “The View” Monday, saying no woman should be “surprised” if they make the decision to hit a man and the man hits back. She explained: