"The View" co-host Sunny Hostin slammed comedian Bill Maher's criticism of wokeness on Thursday and said the comedian should be "ashamed." 

Hostin argued that the term "woke" has been "co-opted" by the right and Maher himself. 

"He’s comparing woke with identity politics. He thinks woke means a diversity of opinion. That is not what woke meant in the mid-1900s. It’s not what woke meant during the civil rights movement. It’s not what woke meant during BLM. It’s not what woke means now. I think he should be ashamed of some of the things he has said about wokeness," Hostin said. 

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Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin asked Hostin why "diversity of opinion" shouldn't be part of the definition of "woke."

"That’s not what it meant. That was a co-opting of the term. That’s to take the power away from Black people for standing up for what we deserve from this country," Hostin told Farah Griffin. 

Farah Griffin asked again why "diversity of thought" wouldn't be included if the goal is to "reach as much diversity, inclusion and equity" as possible. 

"Diversity of thought is not equivalent of being woke. Woke is not a political term. Woke is a term about racism, about social injustice, about equality. It doesn’t mean you like Trump or you don't, it doesn't mean you’re MAGA or you're not. It doesn’t mean you’re Republican or you're not," Hostin continued. 

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Co-host Whoopi Goldberg argued that Republicans needed to "admit" they were "asleep." 

"That’s how I look at it. We were not asleep. We’ve always been aware of what needed to go to happen because we couldn’t go to sleep," Goldberg said. "You had to keep an eye on where you were heading and what you were doing and how you were handling yourself. The same way that we always have these things that we explain. When we were kids we were told, this is how you have to deal with the police. There was no time to go to sleep. That’s why I always say they were the ones who just woke up. They’re freaked out because this was not what they were expecting to see." 

The hosts discussed a clip of Maher saying "woke" started out as a "good thing" and turned into an "eye roll."

"Democrats sometimes can take it too far. I would categorize ‘liberal’ as different than ‘woke.’ Woke, which started out as a good thing, an alert to injustice, who could be against that? But then it became sort of an eye roll because they love diversity except of ideas. Abraham Lincoln was not a controversial figure among liberals. We liked him. Now they take his name off schools and tear down his statues. Really, Lincoln isn’t good enough for you?" Maher said during an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper. 

Goldberg criticized Maher in January 2022 for comments he made about COVID-19 and masking.

"You don’t have to do it, but stay away from everybody, because if you're the one who’s not paying attention, and you’re coughing and sneezing … then stay out of the public, man," she said at the time. "Nobody wants this. I don’t want it. And I think he’s forgetting that people are still at risk who cannot get vaccinated … little kids under the age of five, or people with health conditions."

A Japanese cult leader who famously claimed he could channel the spirit of any living or dead person has passed away at the age of 66. 

Ryuho Okawa, leader and CEO of the "Happy Science" cult, was rushed to hospital after collapsing in his home on Monday from an apparent "state of cardiac arrest." He finally passed on Thursday night, and his cause of death remains unconfirmed, according to Fuji TV. 

Okawa had remained a controversial figure for most of his life, claiming to have received "Messages of God" and to have the ability to channel the spirits of the rich and famous. Okawa would publish books based on what he said the spirits told him. 

His publications included addresses from the "guardian spirits" of Jesus Christ, former President Trump, Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He described his books as a form of "religious journalism."

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Okawa was born in 1956 in a rural area and graduated from the University of Tokyo. He founded the "Happy Science" cult in 1986 after he had an "epiphany" that he could speak with spirits, which told him that his mission was to "lead humanity to happiness." 

The group believed in Okawa’s ability to channel spirits, as well as spiritual reincarnation and the construction of a global utopia. 

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The cult claimed to have grown the group to include members in more than 110 countries and 700 related facilities both inside and outside the country. A New York Times report in 2020 cast doubt on the group’s claims, including its boast of 11 million members, instead citing Okawa’s first wife who said the group had roughly 30,000 members in 2011. 

Hiroshi, Okawa’s son, denounced his father as nothing more than a con-man. He told the Times in a 2020 interview that his father "relentlessly lied to his followers" and that he believed "what my father does is complete nonsense." 

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Okawa launched the group’s political branch, the Happiness Realization Party, in 2009, The Japan News reported. His party advocated for small government based on religious teaching, a China containment policy and limitations on the rights of the LGBTQ community. 

The party failed to win any national government seats as of Okawa’s death, though, some members have won local assembly seats, according to France 24.

The "Happy Science" group members have not released any statements following Okawa’s death.