22-year-old Miya Ponsetto, who is being called "SoHo Karen" after she attacked a 14-year-old Black boy and falsely accused him of stealing her phone, told Gayle King that she can't be racist because she's a woman of color.
During her controversial interview with King, Ponsetto stated that she's "Italian, Greek, and Puerto Rican" while explaining her motives for attacking the 14-year-old son of jazz trumpet player Keyon Harrold in an NYC hotel. Ponsetto told King, "I had noticed my phone had been missing. So I just approached the hotel manager, asked him if he could kindly just check the footage. In my opinion, I was, like, ‘OK, any person walking down could possibly be the person that might’ve had my phone.' And I, I really didn’t, I wasn’t racial profiling whatsoever. I’m a woman. I’m Puerto Rican. I’m, like, a woman of color. I’m Italian, Greek, Puerto Rican."
King then asked Ponsetto, "You keep saying you’re Puerto Rican. Does that mean that you can’t be racist because you’re saying you’re a woman of color? Is that what you mean?" Ponsetto then replied, "Exactly," to which King told her, "I would disagree with that."
