Raven-Symoné Gets a Lot of Hate, and It’s Not Always Deserved
The Disney queen has made some decisions that have sparked controversy over the years.
Published Aug. 1 2025, 5:24 p.m. ET
When Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman-Maday, known by most of us simply as Raven-Symoné, entered the entertainment industry, she became a star before she could read. Raven became the quintessential cutie as the witty Olivia Kendall on The Cosby Show.
Years later, she continued her child star reign on Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, followed by her reign as Disney’s most successful teen queens with That’s So Raven, The Cheetah Girls 1 and 2, and all of the boss moves in between.
We could go on and on about how Raven is THAT GIRL in showbiz, but, honestly, her resume speaks for itself. And while she’s gotten her flowers and has carved many lanes for herself as an adult, and even revived Disney with a new show centered around adult Raven Baxter, she isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and many of her harshest critics have made sure she knows how they feel. So, what’s causing all the Raven-Symoné hate? Let’s take a look at some reasons why.
The Raven-Symoné hate seemingly began in 2014.
While there was once a time you couldn’t say anything bad about Raven-Symoné without the entire Disney Channel fandom coming for your neck, her comments throughout her adulthood have sparked multiple controversies. The first significant moment came in 2014 during her interview on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN show, Where Are They Now? The episode included the former daytime queen asking Raven about her sexuality.
The Raven’s Home alum told Oprah she didn’t want to be labeled for her sexual preferences, and also addressed her views on race in a now-viral moment.
"I’m tired of being labeled — I’m an American, I’m not an African-American,” she said. “I’m an American.”
Even after a stunned Oprah warned Raven her comments would send the app formerly known as Twitter ablaze, she continued defending herself, even a decade after being dragged online. In a 2024 episode of her and her wife, Miranda Maday-Pearman’s podcast, Tea Time with Raven and Miranda, she explained that the interview was taken out of context, and she never said she wasn’t Black; instead, she mentioned that the “logistics” were what confused everyone.
“When I say that African American does not align with me — that label – it doesn’t mean that I’m negating my Blackness or I’m not Black,” she said on the podcast. “It means I am from this country. I was born here. My mom, my dad, my great-great-great-great-great — that’s what I’m saying. The pure logistics of it."
Raven continued receiving backlash about her outlook on life when she appeared on The View in 2015. Many of her comments on the show’s “Hot Topics” were magnified online, including her calling out Black women with “ghetto names” like Watermelondrea applying for jobs, and her critiques on Black icons such as Harriett Tubman and Beyoncé. Raven addressed several of her viral comments, including writing a Facebook post in 2015 to apologize for her Watermelondrea comment.
Raven-Symoné has also faced homophobic and racial backlash since marrying her wife, Miranda Maday.
Five years after her comments in her interview with Oprah and on The View, Raven faced more online hate following her 2020 marriage to Miranda, who is white. The couple's interracial relationship drew heavy criticism, prompting Raven to release a video in 2024 asking haters to stop sending death threats to her wife. Critics have targeted Miranda for various reasons, including her lack of knowledge about That’s So Raven, and for the couple's candid discussions about their racial differences.
Raven has also been criticized for embracing her masculine side since her marriage, opting to shave her head and wear more masculine attire. In July 2025, a lighthearted video of Raven and Miranda participating in Nicki Minaj's high school challenge sparked negative comments, with critics comparing Raven to her That’s So Raven co-star, Orlando Brown, and accusing the couple of playing into racial stereotypes.
Raven-Symoné will ALWAYS be Raven-Symoné regardless of the hate.
Raven, like most celebrities and people in general, is flawed. She made multiple ignorant comments in her younger years, which, as any reality TV show contestant or new celeb will tell you, eventually comes back to haunt you. Nonetheless, Raven has since taken accountability and has admitted she still has a lot of growth to do.
As for her marriage, she and her wife are seemingly minding their business. Most of the hate they receive seems to come from those who are holding onto Raven Baxter or Galleria Garibaldi, rather than who Raven-Symoné is today. And, of course, there’s plain ol’ homophobia, racism, and sexism at play. Either way, the hate seems more like a “them” problem than hers.