Sara Haines clarifies misinformation about Iranian women’s education rights on Instagram.
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Sara Haines admits mistake
In a surprising social media post, Sara Haines admitted her mistake.
The popular co-host of “The View” corrected her statements about Iranian women’s rights on Instagram, showing that even TV personalities need to hit the reset button sometimes.
The misunderstanding that started the controversy
During Wednesday’s heated “Hot Topics” segment, Haynes jumped into a heated debate on Iran between Whoopi Goldberg and Alissa Farrah Griffin.
In a fit of passion, she claimed that Iranian women “are not educated” and “can’t go out of their homes” — statements that were not entirely accurate.
Facing the truth
“I conflated the religious rule of the Ayatollahs in Iran with the control of the Taliban in Afghanistan,” Haynes explained in her Instagram Story.
She clarified that, unlike in Afghanistan, Iranian women actually have access to education and make up a significant portion of university students.
How the conversation went awry
The original discussion spiraled out of control when Griffin denounced Iran for human rights violations, saying, “Iranians literally throw gay people off buildings.”
Goldberg wasn’t having it. “Don’t do that,” she responded, reminding everyone of America’s own dark history: “In this country we used to tie gays to cars.
I’m sorry, they just kept hanging black people.”
More than just a simple correction
Haynes didn’t just correct her facts — she made sure everyone understood her intent.
“When mentioning education, I was talking specifically about access under authoritarian regimes — not about the abilities or accomplishments of Iranian women,” she wrote.
Sticking to her core message
Despite the factual mistake, Haynes didn’t back down from her main point: “I wouldn’t want to be a woman living under the current regimes of Iran or Afghanistan.
Despite the differences between them, both governments place severe restrictions on women’s rights and freedoms.”
This isn’t the first time Haynes has faced difficult situations.
After joining “The View” in 2016, she left to co-host “GMA3,” but she returned in 2020 when the show shut down.
Like her career decisions, her Instagram revamp shows she’s willing to shift her stance when needed.