The View co-host Sherri Shepherd
has apologized for comments many viewed as anti-gay.
“Working on a talk show that's
centered in the opinion business, there's been several things that
I've shared in the press that have upset people, and typically I
don't respond to the criticism,” Shepherd
said during Tuesday's program. “However, I'd like to say I'm
truly sorry to anyone I've offended with the viewpoints I expressed
on Alicia Menendez Tonight on the Fusion network. My
interview was misrepresented, and only a portion of my comments were
used as a headline to give the impression that I was condemning
members of the LGBT community living in their own truth. In the
interview, I express I was raised as a child to have a certain set of
beliefs, but my beliefs have evolved significantly as my own personal
relationship with Christ has increased.”
Shepherd told Menendez that the biggest
misconception about her is that people believe she's homophobic.
“You grow up being a Christian and
you grow up believing homosexuality is a sin; you're going to hell if
you're a homosexual. This is something that they teach in churches.
So it's something I grew up believing.”
“I might not agree with your
lifestyle, but I love you. You may not agree with my lifestyle, but
you love me,” she said.
Shepherd added that she won't argue
that being gay is a choice.
“If you tell me, 'Sherri, I was born
gay,' okay I'm not going to argue with you, because I can't tell you
how you feel and what's going on inside,” she said.
(Related: Bachelor's
Juan Pablo Galavis apologizes for calling gays “more pervert.”)