Meghan McCain, daughter of late Arizona Senator John McCain, announced on air that she would be leaving The View at the end of the current season.
What We Know:
- The View was created two decades ago by Barbara Walters and has continued to do well in the ratings due to a mix of celebrity guest stars and a reoccurring segment in which the women discuss daily news. The current co-hosts of the show are McCain, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, and Whoopi Goldberg. McCain was the replacement for Jedediah Bila in 2017 to fulfill the need for a conservative voice.
- McCain has said that she was going to turn down the offer, but her father convinced her it was a good opportunity. Since joining the show, McCain has been unafraid to challenge her co-hosts on air. In 2020 former co-host Abby Huntsmen left amid complaints of toxic work culture due to her and McCain’s tension.
“These are all smart, strong women. I had to stay true to my convictions and my poltics and not let the physical audience in front of me, which is normally liberal, or the audience on social media impact my politics. Because a lot of things I say are unpopular,” McCain stated.
- Like many televised shows during the pandemic, The View‘s hosts forfeited their New York studio for remote broadcast from the comfort of their own homes. McCain, married to conservative commentator Ben Domenech and a new mother, ultimately decided she did not want to return to the commute from Washington D.C. “On a professional note, this show is one of the hands-down greatest, most exhilarating, most wonderful privileges of my entire life,” McCain said during her announcement.
- ABC News released a statement saying it respected her decision and applauded her “fierce determination and vast political knowledge and experience.” Even co-host Behar, who McCain has sparred with multiple times, said, “I have really, really appreciated the fact that you were a formidable opponent in many ways and that you spoke your mind.”
McCain used her air time to point out the lack of media coverage concerning the show and the sexist implications of that. She pointed out if the show’s five hosts were men, they would all have Pulitzer Prizes.
