'View' co-hosts defend S.E. Cupp over Hustler photo

NEW YORK, May 24 (UPI) -- All five hosts of "The View" rallied to defend U.S. conservative commentator S.E. Cupp, whom Hustler photo-shopped to look like she had a penis in her mouth.

Introducing Cupp, who was sitting in the audience, as "a friend of 'The View'" on Thursday's edition of the program, co-host Whoopi Goldberg said: "This is really going to piss a lot of you women off and I hope you're going to make your voices heard ... .

"We were not happy when we heard that Hustler magazine photo-shopped her into a fake, very explicit photograph that they published in a recent issue," Goldberg continued. "Tell me, when you first saw this picture -- and I mean it's nasty and disgusting and fake, fake, fake, we need to let you all know that -- what was [your reaction?]"

"I was horrified," Cupp said. "It was disgusting and, even though I didn't actually do that, by the end of the day, I felt ashamed as if I had. And knowing this photo will be out there forever. My children will see it when I have them one day. It's sad. I'm sad."

Cupp, 33, acknowledged the magazine clearly stated the image wasn't real and was meant as satire.

"They didn't like my politics. They don't like that I'm conservative," Cupp said.

Host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the lone Republican on "The View" panel, said she called the National Organization for Women Thursday and had "yet to get a response from them when they have jumped on other cases."

"The outrage that we've seen for some other examples of this has not been matched and that's OK. I'm not a victim here," Cupp said, noting she has received support from Sandra Fluke and Planned Parenthood.

"Whether you're conservative or a Democrat, this is not OK," Goldberg said. "This is offensive. This is not the dialogue that we have when we disagree."

"It's not funny in any way. It's offensive and horrifying and we're sorry that they did," host Joy Behar said. "We know her for years. I love her. She's a darling girl and this is just disgusting. ... It's a humiliating photo."

"It's also describing a woman as totally submissive in a way," Hasselbeck said.

Hosts Sherri Shepherd and Barbara Walters also were supportive of Cupp and denounced the Hustler move.

Cupp writes for the New York Daily News, as well as Mercury Radio Arts, which is owned and operated by Glenn Beck.

Hustler publisher Larry Flynt defended his publication of the altered image in a statement Thursday.

"As a result of our publishing an ad parody of political pundit S.E. Cupp that depicted her having oral sex, the prudish and delusional right wing has accused me and my magazine of being sexist and waging a war on women," Flynt said.

"That's absurd. The picture was clearly labeled as satire. It was intended as humorous commentary about her politics. We stated that no such image of Ms. Cupp actually exists. Secondly, the feature, which we run every month, has previously depicted such male luminaries as Mario Cuomo, Dan Rather and, most recently, my friend Bill Maher..How misogynistic or sexist is that?" Flynt said. "The ad parody was protected free speech as decided by unanimous decision by the Supreme Court in 1988, Flynt v. Falwell, which afforded parody protection under the First Amendment. So critics, get a life. Find another horse to beat.
 We don't know anything about Ms. Cupp's personal life, but we do know that oral sex is practiced by the majority of adult Americans, both male and female. The fact that the picture of Ms. Cupp has generated so much flap says more about the sexual repression of the American people than it does anything else. Oral sex is a normal and healthy practice."