It was an unusual turn to your typical pageant: a Miss America contestant entered the stage wearing medical scrubs and a stethoscope, and told a slightly sad, yet inspiring and honest story about being a nurse.
Miss Colorado Kelley Johnson’s monologue during the talent portion of the contest touched many, some who work in the field, and others who have been given care by a nurse in times of crises.
But biting comments from hosts of The View, who mocked her monologue and wondered why she was wearing a stethoscope, have not gone over well.
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Tweets by one of the talk show’s hosts during the pageant foreshadowed the storm that would follow:
On Monday while discussing the pageant, host Michelle Collins said Johnson “basically read her emails out loud and shockingly did not win.”
“Why does she have a doctor’s stethoscope on?” host Joy Behar asked.
The Internet quickly made its feelings clear:
On Wednesday the hosts responded to the backlash, saying they love, adore and respect nurses and their words were misunderstood.
“You guys are wonderful,” said Collins. “You’re the most compassionate people. I was not talking about nurses, we were talking about the talent competition, and it got misconstrued.”
While The View hosts recover from their foot-in-mouth syndrome, perhaps Johnson’s words say enough.
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“Every nurse has a patient that reminds them why they became a nurse in the first place,” Johnson’s monologue about Joe with Alzheimer’s disease begins.
As Johnson cared for Joe, the two connected, and would talk about life and joke around. One difficult night, the conversation changed.
“Although you say it all the time, you are not just a nurse,” Joe told her. “You are my nurse, and you have changed my life because you have cared about me.”
“Joe reminded me that day that I’m a lifesaver,” Johnson concluded, “I’m never going to be just a nurse.”
While The View hosts weren’t impressed with the monologue, Miss America judges were: Johnson, whose personal platform was The Health Initiative, came third and was awarded a $20,000 scholarship.
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