Stacey Dash, a black actress well-known in Hollywood for her conservative leanings, has been hired by Fox News to be a cultural contributor.
Fox News' Executive Vice President of Programming Bill Shine released a statement Wednesday accompanying the announcement that read, "Stacey is an engaging conversationalist whose distinctive viewpoints amongst her Hollywood peers have spawned national debates. We’re pleased to have her join FOX News."
Almost immediately after the announcement was made, the 47-year-old actress faced a relentless barrage of hateful commentary from online trolls who apparently consider her a turncoat for being a black female with conservative leanings.
Some examples of the online vitriol, which have since been removed after they were posted Wednesday afternoon, are as follows:
"WOW! I used to like you so much. You have proven yourself mentally ill, especially now by joining FAUX News. Pathetic bigot." @WarpedAuthor posted on Twitter.
"she truly thinks she's a white woman," @ChampagneNii wrote.
"Congrats on your new token! >> Stacey Dash Joins.@FoxNews" wrote @mandyplz.
Dash took the hateful rants in stride and responding accordingly on her Twitter feed.
The Bronx, New York-born Dash, who is known to many for her role in the 1990s valley girl cult-classic "Clueless," faced similar online venom in 2012 when
Dash publicly endorsed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney over President Barack Obama.
The criticism of Dash is reminiscent of similar attacks that were waged against other prominent African-American conservatives, such as Ben Carson and Herman Cain, who are frequently targeted by those on the left for siding with the Republican party, considering the vast majority of blacks are registered Democrats.