RICHMOND, Va. -- Johnson & Johnson has become the first major company to "pause" advertising from "The View" after comments about nurses sent off an online firestorm Monday.
The pharmaceutical company posted a statement on Facebook:
“Johnson & Johnson values and appreciates nurses and we respect the critical role they play in our healthcare system. We disagree with recent comments on daytime television about the nursing profession, and we have paused our advertising accordingly.”
The New Jersey based company said they are committed to raising the level of awareness about the skill and knowledge that nursing requires.
"We send our thanks today and every day to the millions of nurses who touch the lives of patients and their families,” Johnson & Johnson said on Facebook.
During the 2016 Miss America Pageant on Sept. 13, Miss Colorado Kelley Johnson performed a monologue in which she talked about her profession as a nurse for the talent portion.
On Monday’s “The View,” co-host Michelle Collins poked fun at the monologue, saying Johnson “basically read her emails out loud — and shockingly did not win.” Collins adds, “She helps patients with Alzheimer’s, which is not funny, but I swear, you had to see it.”
Online backlash also came from comment's by Joy Behar of "The View" saying, “Why does she have a doctor’s stethoscope around her neck?”
That set off a revolt on social media, with nurses defending their jobs and starting a #NursesUnite movement on Twitter.
"The View" co-host Michelle Collins responded to the backlash on Wednesday's show saying, “we love nurses … we adore you, we respect you -- You guys are wonderful, you’re the most compassionate people. I was not talking about her as a nurse, we were talking about the talent competition and I think it got misconstrued.
