Sunny Hostin: Education, Career, and Impact
Asunción "Sunny" Cummings Hostin, born on October 20, 1968, is an accomplished American lawyer, author, journalist, and television host. She is a co-host on ABC's morning talk show The View, for which she received nominations for Daytime Emmy Awards, as well as the Senior Legal Correspondent and Analyst for ABC News. Hostin has built a diverse and impactful career, transitioning from a federal prosecutor to a prominent media personality.
Early Life and Education
Hostin grew up with a Puerto Rican mother and a Black father in a South Bronx housing project. She was raised in the Bronx, New York City, attended the all-girls Dominican Academy, and is fluently bilingual in English and Spanish. This upbringing instilled in her a strong sense of identity and a passion for justice, themes that would later define her career. Overcoming financial constraints, she applied to the top 25 schools at the time.
Sunny received a full, merit-based scholarship through the Educational Opportunity Program to Binghamton University. She began college early, at 16, skipping a grade. She initially majored in biology for three years, but later switched to English because of her love for writing and communication. Sunny received her B.A. degree in English and Rhetoric from Binghamton University.
After graduating from Binghamton University, Hostin pursued her legal education at Notre Dame Law School, earning her Juris Doctor degree.
Early Career in Law
After graduating from Notre Dame Law School, Hostin began her career as an appellate law clerk to retired Chief Judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals Robert M. Bell.
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Following her clerkship, Hostin became a trial attorney and federal prosecutor with the United States Department of Justice, specializing in child sex crimes. As a federal prosecutor, she was awarded a Special Achievement Award by then Attorney General Janet Reno for her prosecution of child sexual predators and work with child sex abuse.
Hostin was also a Managing Director of Business Intelligence and Investigations at Kroll, the world’s leading risk-consulting company. At Kroll, Sunny led groups of investigators all over the world to investigate and uncover fraud.
Transition to Media
While pursuing her legal career, Hostin also had a passion for journalism. Hostin began her television career as a commentator for Court TV. She seamlessly combined her legal expertise with her love for storytelling and began appearing as a legal analyst on television networks, providing commentary on high-profile cases and legal issues.
She then was offered a spot on the Fox News Channel, where she was seen weekly on the “Is It Legal” segment on “The O’Reilly Factor,” sparring with Megan Kelly and Bill O’Reilly on various provocative issues and high-profile cases.
In 2007, Hostin joined CNN as a legal analyst, where she became known for her in-depth analysis of social justice and legal issues. Sunny created, wrote and co-produced her popular weekly segment, Sunny’s Law, which answered viewer questions on various topics including homeowner’s rights when faced with foreclosure, how to survive a police encounter, and who gets the ring after a broken engagement. As a Department of Justice alum, her deep knowledge of the Justice Department and its inner workings made her an invaluable part of the CNN morning team during and after the historic election of President Barack Obama. Sunny reported on potential cabinet picks including correctly predicting that Eric Holder would be selected as the next Attorney General.
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She covered many high-profile trials, from George Zimmerman to Casey Anthony, and a number of other major stories, including the AME church shooting in Charleston and the selection of Eric Holder for Attorney General.
In March 2016, it was announced that Hostin was joining ABC News as Senior Legal Correspondent and analyst.
The View and Continued Success
Sunny Hostin officially joins “The View” for Season 20 making regular appearances to guest co-host throughout the season. She became a permanent co-host of The View beginning the show's twentieth season in September 2016.
As a co-host of The View, Hostin has become a prominent voice in daytime television, engaging in discussions on a wide range of social and political issues.
Three-time Emmy Award-winner Sunny Hostin has been a co-host of The View since 2016. She has won two Emmys for her work as a correspondent for ABC's "Good Morning America," one for her work as a correspondent for the ABC News special "The President and the People," and two for her work hosting ABC's special event coverage of New York City's 2023 and 2024 Puerto Rican Day Parade.
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Some of the joys are getting to talk about what is most pressing in our country every single day and having a platform that is pretty powerful and resonates with so many. She also gets to work with five incredibly smart, engaged and powerful women, including Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar and Ana Navarro.
Other Media Ventures
Hostin has also ventured into other media projects, showcasing her versatility and commitment to storytelling.
In 2019, Sunny hosted and executive produced the six-episode documentary series "Truth About Murder with Sunny Hostin" for Investigation Discovery, which explored some of the most infamous homicides in the nation. Last winter, Sunny hosted and executive produced a six episode documentary series, Truth About Murder with Sunny Hostin, on Investigation Discovery. The series explores 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.
In 2021, Sunny was part of the groundbreaking ABC primetime newscast "Soul of a Nation," the first broadcast network newsmagazine aiming to put Black life in America front and center. Sunny moderated a provocative recurring conversational segment called "In the Kitchen," where a group of talkers and thinkers joined her for a candid discussion on current events.
In 2025, Sunny hosted "Diddy on Trial: As It Happened," which debuted at No. 3 on Hulu.
Author and Producer
Hostin is the founder and CEO of Sunny Hostin Productions, a global multiplatform media company that produces and creates premium film and television content highlighting important social justice issues, meaningful stories and underrepresented groups. The company's first project is to develop her novel, "Summer on the Bluffs," as a dramatic series for Amazon MGM Studios.
Last summer, Sunny released her New York Times best-selling novel, “Summer on the Bluffs” (William Morrow), the first book in her “Summer” trilogy. The story follows three women in their quest to secure the inheritance rights to their beloved godmother’s house on the beautiful beaches of Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard, the most exclusive Black beach community in the country. Sunny also announced the launch of her production company, Sunny Hostin Productions, a global, multi-platform media company that will produce and create premium film and television content highlighting important social justice issues, meaningful stories, and underrepresented groups. The company’s first project under a deal with Disney is to develop Sunny’s novel, “Summer on the Bluffs,” as a dramatic series, with ABC Signature and Octavia Spencer’s Orit Entertainment.
In May 2021, Hostin released her debut novel, "Summer on the Bluffs" (William Morrow), which skyrocketed to No. 11 on The New York Times Bestsellers list. The success of this book led to the continuation of her summer trilogy with the release of "Summer on Sag Harbor" on May 2, 2023, which also became an instant New York Times bestseller. The series was completed with the release of "Summer on Highland Beach" in the summer of 2024.
In the fall of 2020, Hostin released her memoir, "I Am These Truths: A Memoir of Identity, Justice, and Living Between Worlds," with HarperOne, featuring an introspective look into the challenges she faced while being raised by teenage parents in the Bronx housing projects, the many obstacles she overcame to become a federal prosecutor, and her ultimate path to becoming an incredibly successful television journalist. This fall, she will make her debut as an author with her memoir “I Am These Truths: A Memoir of Identity, Justice, and Living Between Worlds,” featuring an introspective look into the challenges she faced while being raised by teenage parents in the South Bronx, the many obstacles she overcame to become a federal prosecutor, and her ultimate path to becoming an incredibly successful television journalist.
Legal and Political Commentary
Sunny Hostin has covered many of the major legal and political stories of today, including the George Zimmerman, Casey Anthony and Conrad Murray trials, Bernie Madoff, Elliot Spitzer, the FLDS polygamy case, the Michael Vick dog fighting ring, OJ Simpson’s civil trial, Brittney Spears’ custody and mental illness battles, the Duke rape scandal, and many more.
As a gifted storyteller, Sunny's impressive depth of knowledge carries over to politics and the criminal justice system. She has brought clarity and context to some of the biggest stories of the past decade, including incisive political analysis of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and subsequent presidency; the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol; the Derek Chauvin trial and verdict; the college admission scandal; the George Zimmerman trial; the unrest in Ferguson and Baltimore; and the AME church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina.
In May 2020, Sunny and a group of Black female activists penned an authoritative op-ed for The Washington Post, urging presidential candidate Joe Biden to select a Black female vice-presidential candidate, ultimately predicting his selection of Kamala Harris.
Previously, Sunny was a legal analyst for CNN where she became known for her in depth analysis of social justice and legal issues.
Recognition and Awards
Sunny Hostin's remarkable career has been recognized with several accolades and awards, including multiple Daytime Emmy Awards as a co-host on "The View."
Five-time Emmy® Award-winner and New York Times bestselling author Sunny Hostin has been a co-host of ABC's "The View" since 2016.
As a federal prosecutor, she was awarded with a Special Achievement Award by then Attorney General Janet Reno for her prosecution of child sexual predators and work with child sex abuse.
Personal Life
Hostin married orthopedic surgeon Emmanuel Hostin, in August 1998. She lives with her husband and their two children, Gabriel, born on August 15, 2002, and Paloma, born on May 5, 2006, in Purchase, New York. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
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