“ Enough, ” says SoHo Karen to Gayle King

CBS This Morning host Gayle King confronted Miya Ponsetto, the so-called SoHo Karen, who physically assaulted a 14-year-old black child after falsely accusing him of stealing his cell phone.

“Miya, help me understand,” King began his interview with Ponsetto, part of which aired Friday morning on CBS. “What made you think that Keyon [Harrold Jr.] had your phone? This is why I am confused. Why did you think he to see her?”

In viral footage recorded on Saturday, Ponsetto, 22, yells at Keyon and his father, who repeatedly explain that his phone is not in their possession. Ponsetto, a native of Piru, in eastern Ventura County, then continues to pursue them, ordering the manager of the Arlo Hotel in New York City to seize the phone she falsely claims to be his.

In separate surveillance footage, Ponsetto is seen hunting and attacking Keyon in the hotel lobby. According to the New York Times, the Arlo later informed the Harrolds that Ponsetto had collected his phone from the hotel that day after it was found by an Uber driver.

On Thursday, Ponsetto was arrested in Ventura County after the New York Police Department sent detectives to California with an arrest warrant.

“I approached the people exiting the hotel, because in my mind, anyone going out is probably… the one trying to steal my phone,” Ponsetto told King.

“I admit, yeah, I could have approached the situation differently – or maybe not yell at him like that and make him feel … kind of an inferior path and make him feel like I was,” like, hurt her feelings because it’s not my intention. I consider myself to be super nice. I never really meant to hurt him or his father.

When King asked if she had interviewed “everyone in the lobby,” Ponsetto replied, “Um, not everyone” and clarified that she had spoken to some people “to do my part” while the manager of the hotel was reviewing the security footage. King also took issue with the “super sweet” characterization, arguing that Ponsetto’s actions were “very extreme” and did not portray her as “someone super nice”.

“How would you feel,” Ponsetto replied, “if you were alone in New York … and you lost the one thing that was stolen from you that has all access to the only way to get home?” “

Again, King pushed back.

“I just don’t think I would attack random people the way you did,” King said. “When you watch this video, you’re standing there in your leggings and flip flops, and it looks like you’re going crazy, for lack of a better word.”

Introducing herself as a “girl” throughout the interview, Ponsetto apologized “sincerely, from the bottom of her heart” before accusing Keyon’s father of assaulting her (“It looked like you had just come from ‘attacking his son,’ King said). Ponsetto also suggested that she only attack Keyon by “yelling at him”.

“Yeah, okay, I’m sorry,” she said. “Can we move on?”

When King continued to squeeze her, pretending, “You’re old enough to know better,” Ponsetto cut her off.

“Very well, Gayle! Enough, “she barked, gesturing downward with her hand as her lawyer whispered to her,” Stop, stop.

Reflecting on the exchange with his co-hosts, King noted that Ponsetto had repeatedly ignored his attorney’s advice during the interview – including a trick to removing his black baseball cap, which was written “Daddy “.

“It was an interesting afternoon,” King said, adding, “It’s a very sad story, though. I think there is something sad about her and … the trauma she put on this 14 year old. This is not OK.

In a statement provided to ‘CBS This Morning’, Keyon’s parents said, ‘This is not an apology from someone who until a few days ago claimed she hadn’t done anything. wrong, and in fact, Keyon Harrold Sr. had assaulted her. . Someone who targeted a 14 year old black kid because of the color of his skin. “

An excerpt from the interview, posted on Twitter by “CBS This Morning” on Friday, drew sharp criticism from several people who condemned Ponsetto as “dangerous”, “disrespectful”, “titled” and “violent racist” .

“Here is where the privilege of ‘SoHo Karen’ resides as she wears a ‘daddy’ hat to a nationwide TV interview with Gayle King and cuts her with a raised hand and ‘enough’ while calling herself ‘ sweet girl, ”tweeted Arianna Davis, O digital director, Oprah magazine.

“Notice how the 22-year-old woman called himself a ‘girl’ and the 14-year-old black boy a ‘man’ … intentionally positioning himself as blameless / victim and taking away the teenager’s childhood, catapulting him as the most mature and responsible person, ”wrote Twitter user Kelia Washington. “Language is everything.”

Here are more reactions to King’s interview with Ponsetto, which will air in full on Monday.