Robin Givens’ honesty about her violent marriage to Mike Tyson led to a nasty backlash. In the aftermath of that explosive interview with Barbara Walters, Givens was portrayed as an evil gold digger who, as the tabloids put it, had become the “most hated woman in America.” But Givens endured, filing for divorce and rebuilding her life despite the vitriol. In this episode, Susie and Jess examine that cruel public reaction, what it teaches us about America’s misunderstanding of domestic violence at that time and the role that race played in it all.

Guest:

• Salamishah Tillet, Pulitzer Prize-winning critic and professor of Africana Studies and Creative Writing at Rutgers University

FOR MORE:

• ‘Boomerang’ at 30: Think of It as the Robin Givens Rom-Com (New York Times, 2022)
• Robin Givens on Domestic Violence: 'Why I Stayed' (Time, 2014)
• Ms. Magazine Cover: Battered Wives (1976)