Segment on Heart Health: ‘My Aunt Died Yesterday of a Heart Attack’

Guest co-host Star Jones, who has had open-heart surgery, comforted Hostin, saying, ‘You’re supposed to be vulnerable with your girls’

Sunny Hostin on “The View” on Feb. 5, 2025. Credit :ABC

Sunny Hostin broke down when a segment on cardiac health on The View hit close to home, sharing that a beloved relative had a fatal heart attack just the day before.

“I’m sorry, my aunt died yesterday of a heart attack,” Hostin, 56, emotionally told her co-hosts on the Feb. 5 episode of The View, tearing up when guest host Star Jones opened up about her health history to kick off American Heart Month.

“I’m so sorry, Sunny,” Alyssa Farah Griffin said, as Jones, 62, told Hostin, “Understand that your aunt is at home with her God and we are here to fulfill her legacy.”

“I’m sorry everyone,” Hostin said; In response, Jones comforted her, saying, “Do not worry about stuff like that. We’re your girls. You’re supposed to be vulnerable with your girls. That’s what it’s about.”

Star Jones and Sunny Hostin.ABC

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It was Jones’ discussion of her cardiac history — along with steps people can take to protect their heart health — that prompted Hostin to share the news of her aunt’s death.

“I had open-heart surgery fourteen years ago,” said Jones, a national volunteer for the American Heart Association. She shared that she and former co-host Barbara Walters had open-heart surgery within six months of each other.

“I’m a survivor and a thriver because my life has obviously improved,” Jones said, explaining that in the fourteen years since her heart surgery, it’s still a leading cause of death for Americans — and Black women in particular.

Sunny Hostin in New York in 2024.Gary Gershoff/Getty

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Cardiovascular disease, Jones pointed out, can often be prevented through lifestyle changes: “It’s no magic bullet: eating better, getting some exercise,” said Jones. “I was the most sedentary, lazy human being on the planet. Now my butt is out there, working out, because I don’t have a choice.”

So, she urged, “Know your numbers. Like, what your blood pressure is, what your good and your bad cholesterol is, what your blood sugar level are. This should be the time. Go get an EKG. They actually have those in most insurance plans now. It’s preventative care.”

Jones added for people to reduce stress, get rest — and quit smoking, calling it “the dumbest, most expensive, ridiculously life-threatening habit there is.”

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