'The View' Co-Host Sunny Hostin Faces Backlash for Defending Son, 24, in Legal Letter After His Trespassing Violation — 'Such a Hypocrite Trying to Use Her Privilege'
Sunny Hostin is facing massive backlash for trying to get her son's trespassing case dismissed.
July 14 2026, Published 7:20 p.m. ET
Sunny Hostin is facing brutal backlash for acting as her son Gabriel Hostin's attorney and pressuring a New York district attorney to dismiss trespassing charges against him, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The 57-year-old The View panelist's letter to Westchester County Assistant District Attorney Amanda Greene showed her pleading to drop the case while bragging about Gabriel's Ivy League background, and now Sunny is getting hit with intense criticism for appearing to use "celebrity privilege."
Sunny Hostin Referred to Her Son as 'My Client' in Letter to D.A.
Sunny Hostin wrote a lengthy letter to the Westchester County DA's office asking for the dismissal of her son's case.
Sunny used her full legal name and legal title, signing the letter "Asuncion Hostin, Esq." and made no mention of the fact that she works on ABC's politically charged daytime chatfest.
The TV personality didn't mention that she was also her client's mother, calling him "a 2025 Harvard University graduate with no criminal history or prior contact with the criminal justice system."
Sunny went on to argue in the letter that her 24-year-old client, an avid runner, was simply searching for a steep gravel hill to train on when he unknowingly wandered through an open gate. Because the only "No Trespassing" sign was obscured, she claimed Gabriel had no idea he had entered an active railroad right-of-way.
"While training on the hill, my client was approached by a police officer. The defendant called me immediately, and I arrived at the location within minutes," Sunny wrote, adding that the cop acknowledged the gate should have been closed.
Sunny Hostin Claims Her Son Made an 'Honest Mistake'
Sunny Hostin told the DA's office the 'incident resulted from an honest mistake rather than any criminal intent.'
"The officer further advised that he was intentionally issuing only a violation – not a criminal trespass charge – in order to deter others from entering the property," Sunny told the ADA, as her son was not arrested or taken to jail.
However, Sunny argued that he shouldn't face even a citation on his record.
Without naming Gabriel as her son, Sunny gushed, "My client has worked diligently to build an exemplary academic and personal record."
"Dismissal would avoid imposing unnecessary consequences on a young man who has demonstrated exceptional character and achievement and who poses no risk to the community," she said, later adding that "dismissal is appropriate in the interests of justice," in the case of what she called a "minor" mistake on Gabriel's part.
Gabriel is due in court on July 31 regarding the trespassing violation, unless the DA's office drops the case.
'Ignorance of the Law Is No Excuse'
Sunny Hostin was slammed over her letter to a D.A. urging a trespassing case against her son be dismissed.
Comments online accused Sunny of using her "privilege" to get her son off the hook.
"Ignorance of the law is no excuse. Sounds like someone looking for celebrity privilege," one person sneered, while a second wrote, "Such a hypocrite trying to use her privilege to get her son out of his trouble. He's grown; you should have taught him better."
"All railroad property is posted with no trespassing signs, including the gate that was open. He should have known better; besides, he ran to call his mommy, so he knew he was in the wrong," a third commenter scoffed.
"Maybe a good person, and maybe the charge is a bit much, but it is interesting that her 'NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW' doesn't apply here," a fourth person pointed out about how Sunny uses the term on The View to refer to her political enemies, including President Donald Trump and top Republicans.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Sunny Hostin has said 'no one is above the law' numerous times when referring to Donald Trump.
Sunny crowed, "No one is above the law… You can't commit so many crimes and think that you are above the law, even if you are the president," when Trump was indicted in 2023 regarding a hush money case.
In June of that year, she repeated the claim on The View, gloating, "No one is above the law, and he's been indicted by the Federal government and by the State government as well," when referring to Trump
