ABC’s The View has seen plenty of co-hosts leave over the years, all departing for their own specific set of reasons. Yet Meghan McCain’s recent departure is seemingly proving to be one of its more dramatic exits. The conservative host announced her departure from the daytime staple back in July, citing her desire to do new things and commit more time to her newborn child and family. Many have wondered whether McCain would be discussing her time on the tumultuous talk show, and it now appears she’s ready to chat. She’s not only written a book on the matter but also engaged in a lengthy interview in which she candidly shared behind-the-scenes-details.
The TV personality and writer recently produced an audio memoir called Bad Republican, in which she details her decision to leave the series. During her recent interview with Variety, she also shared thoughts on the state of the ABC series, stating her belief that the show has “demons” that need to be exorcised. While speaking on why she thinks the show has “a toxic work environment,” she shared thoughts on what it was like to be the lone conservative voice:
I feel like everybody knows that. You can watch the show and see that it’s unhinged and disorganized and rowdy. For me personally, it felt extremely isolating because of my political ideology. I was the only conservative on the show. The third year, they ended up hiring a producer for me who was also conservative.
As many probably know, The View aims to present a panel of women, each hailing from different ethnic, socioeconomic and political backgrounds. The series typically brings on at least one panelist to provide a conservative perspective on the issues of the day. Meghan McCain effectively took on this role following the departure of Candace Cameron Bure. After McCain mentioned that this was a position that made her feel “isolated,” she went on to discuss her experiences backstage:
People were not comfortable around me. I was there less than a month when the first article came out about me, about what a disappointment I was and my nickname backstage was ‘Elsa the ice princess’ [from ‘Frozen’]. My dad was dying of glioblastoma. I got permission from the network to take every other Friday off to go home to Arizona and help him get treatment. If I was cold, with this giant show with a group of strangers, I was trying to do well. There were never bad stories leaked about anyone else, and there was certainly bad behavior that could have leaked.
The host’s tenure was filled with more than a few heated moments, a few of which involved colleagues Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar. Though the squabbles would help with ratings, she and Behar, in particular, even got into a disagreement that caused ABC News head Kim Godwin to intervene. One particularly tense exchange took place when the conservative pundit returned from maternity leave and seemed to playfully assert that Behar missed her. Behar responded by saying, “I did not. I did not miss you. Zero.” While talking to the trade, Meghan McCain says she never received an apology for the remark.
Throughout the discussion, Meghan McCain discusses a number of other topics, including her relationship with the network execs and the notes she received. She even compared The View’s current status to that of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which has been marred by controversy over the past year, but McCain said the ABC series was toxic “in a different way.” With this, the media personality shared some pretty direct thoughts on whether she’d return to the show at some point:
No. That’s not going to happen. Someone else should get a shot at it. They should be giving conservative women opportunities to be on TV.
With the show’s current situation, that group of women seem to be getting the opportunity. The co-host’s exit has obviously left an open spot and, for the currently airing Season 25, the show is looking to a revolving door of talent to fill the void. This roster includes conservative personalities like Condoleezza Rice and Gretchen Carlson.
The program also seems to be eager to bring back former panelists for guest stints. But all in all, it seems Meghan McCain has no interest in returning in any capacity, as she seems set on moving on and remaining solely in her position as a DailyMail columnist.
The View airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.
