Three friends of Nolan Wells have demanded Sunny Hostin, co-host of ABC’s talk show “The View,” publicly retract and apologize for statements the group says accuse them of involvement in Wells’ death. If Hostin does not act, attorneys representing the three friends will file a defamation lawsuit against her.
The three friends—Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymore—issued the letter to Hostin through their attorneys, Tyler Cox and Ed Paltzik, on Sept. 16. The letter gives Hostin 10 days to retract the alleged defamatory statements before they pursue litigation.
On July 4, the three men and Wells traveled to Horn Island, located off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Wells chose to remain on the island while his three friends returned to shore, but Wells did not return to the coast that evening. Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, and Warren Hudson both reported Wells missing to law enforcement.
Authorities found Wells dead on the island two days later. More than two months later, authorities have not determined Wells’ cause of death. Authorities have not filed charges against any person.
Official have not released Wells’ autopsy results, and an independent autopsy commissioned by Wells’ family found his cause and manner of death undetermined.
This is not the first time Cox and Paltzik have issued a defamation lawsuit warning. On Aug. 21, they issued a similar notice of intent to sue for defamation to the Rev. Al Sharpton. Sharpton responded by saying he welcomed a lawsuit.
Paltzik announced plans for another defamation lawsuit via a social media post on Sept. 15, encouraging those interested to watch “The Tamera Nealy Show” episode the following evening at 8 p.m. entitled “Exclusive: Who’s Next? Nolan Wells’ Friends Plan to Send New Pre-Suit Defamation Letter.” During the show, Nealy announced the suit was against Hostin and released an intent-to-sue letter Cox and Paltzik sent.
Accusations of Defamation
Sunny Hostin is a lawyer, television host and author best known for her role as a co-host of the ABC morning talk show “The View,” where she has spoken about the Nolan Wells case on several occasions.
In the intent-to-sue letter, attorneys Tyler Cox and Edward Paltzik alleged that Hostin defamed their clients during a segment of “Behind the Table” titled “Sunlight is Really the Best Disinfectant” that Hostin co-hosted with “The View” executive producer Brian Teta on July 13, 2026.
During the segment, Hostin discussed the boat trip Wells and his friends made to Horn Island on July 4 and questioned the circumstances of Wells’ death and the three friends’ involvement.
“So I think we’re going to learn a lot more about Nolan Wells. I think there is a lot of discrepancies. I don’t know how much I can say because I have had conversations with Ben (Crump), but in my view, there are a lot of inconsistencies, especially around Nolan’s cell phone and cell phone records and social media profiles being erased,” Hostin said.
Hostin, who previously worked in law enforcement as a prosecutor, also questioned why the three boys were not brought in for questioning at the police department in separate rooms, calling it “extremely odd.” However, she also acknowledged that she did not know if questioning had occurred.
In the intent-to-sue letter sent to Hostin, Cox and Paltzik said Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymore spoke with law enforcement and turned over their cell phones for examination. The attorneys also said Hudson alerted the United States Coast Guard that Wells’ was missing. The letter outlines a timeline of the night Nolan was reported missing, including call logs with the Coast Guard and text messages sent to Christine Wonsley.
Analysis of Wells’ Phone Still Pending
In the letter, attorneys Tyler Cox and Ed Paltzik also addressed statements Hostin made regarding Nolan’s cell phone.
During the segment, Hostin said: “It also says something that the boys did not give (Wells’) parents Nolan’s phone even though they brought his phone back with them on the boat that—everyone who has a kid, and by the way, this is a parent’s worst nightmare, right? Everyone who has a teenager, or any child, knows very well that kids don’t get separated from their phones. And there’s a video in which Nolan is saying, ‘Give me my phone.’ And so that is striking to me.”
In an interview with Good Morning America on July 13, 2026, Tracestin Shepherd, another friend of Wells, said he was the one speaking in the video.
Hostin then questioned why the Life 360 location Wells’ parents used to track his phone showed it was on land with a friend.
“And they, following the Life 360, went to get the phone and the phone was with one of the friends. That is very strange. So, I think we’re going to learn a lot more about what happened. And, I just suspect that it’s just not good,” Hostin said.
Cox and Paltzik also alleged that Hostin made defamatory statements co-hosting “The View” during a segment entitled “Sunny Hostin On Nolan Wells Investigations” on July 14, 2026.
“Ben Crump has been retained by the family and is conducting an independent investigation. So much so—because this happened in Mississippi—there are some racial undertones to this. He was the only Black kid on an island full of kids that were white. And his family is saying that he would have never … have just never stayed on the island and been left behind by his friends. There were three boys with him that were good friends with him. They turned off their social media accounts,” Hostin said.
Cox and Paltzik argue these statements are defamatory and that their clients did not withhold the cell phone, writing in the letter: “At no time did Warren, Jax or Morgan so much as touch Nolan’s phone. At no time did they have constructive possession of Nolan’s phone. At no time did they access or breach his phone. At no time did they alter, delete, modify or erase any data or information on Nolan’s phone.”
Wells’ legal team, including attorney Ben Crump, and the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office previously agreed to a mutual inspection of Wells’ cell phone after a conversation on July 15, 2026, during a press conference at the 2026 National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Atlanta, Georgia on Aug. 13.
Liza Park, an attorney with Ben Crump Law, said the Wells family legal team is still awaiting communication from Jackson County District Attorney Angel McIlrath on when a joint investigation of Wells’ cellphone will take place. On Aug. 17, the Crump legal team issued a letter to DA McIlrath asking to arrange a joint inspection of the phone. But the phone has yet to be analyzed, two months after the agreement was made.
Similar to the attorneys’ complaint against Al Sharpton, Cox and Paltzik argue that Hostin’s statements may constitute defamation per se, meaning that the statements are so harmful on their face that the plaintiffs would not need to prove financial or reputational damages.
The attorneys are demanding that Hostin apologize for, retract and delete every alleged false and defamatory statement about their clients within 10 days or they will bring litigation.
Follow the Mississippi Free Press’ coverage of the Nolan Wells case and read past stories here.
Mississippi Free Press stories are always free because we believe everyone should have access to quality journalism. Donations from readers like you make that possible. Please click here to give to help sustain and grow vital, people-over-power journalism for Mississippians.
Readers can sign up for our free newsletters here.
