The View has been going strong on ABC for 26 seasons, with its mix of co-hosts debating hot topics that range from the frivolous — like pool sex and why it sucks — to serious subjects like race and the Holocaust. But have on-screen tensions risen to the point that the alphabet network is considering canceling its daytime mainstay? That’s allegedly the case, according to the National Enquirer, but another source says not so fast. What really is going on behind the scenes of The View?
Reports that The View might be in danger of getting the axe come just weeks after the death of Bill Geddie, who created the show with Barbara Walters in 1997 and served as its executive producer for 17 years. According to a source for the National Enquirer (per RadarOnline), the quality of the show has gone down since Geddie left, with viewers allegedly being turned off by the increased fighting amongst its co-hosts. The insider said:
Back in Bill's era The View was topical and intellectual — and the co-hosts debated, but kept it classy. Now, they can't seem to go a day without someone picking a fight. … They've only succeeded in turning off more viewers, and bosses are fed up. The View is more trouble to produce than it's worth — and they're ready to throw in the towel.
The magazine reportedly pointed to the co-hosts recently bumping heads over country singer Miranda Lambert calling out fans for taking selfies rather than listening to her sing, as well as Jason Aldean’s controversial single “Try That in a Small Town” as two examples of disagreements that had advertisers saying The View had "created more backlash than they ever bargained for."
The National Enquirer allegedly went on to report that an industry insider said showrunners were concerned about declining ratings; however, a spokesperson for The View allegedly told RadarOnline there was “no truth” to that rumor, saying:
The View is the most watched daytime talk show in the country.
While Whoopi Goldberg went against her colleagues by taking Miranda Lambert’s side in the above-mentioned selfie scandal, and Sunny Hostin reportedly had a different opinion than Joy Behar and Sara Haines on Jason Aldean, such discussions are typical on The View. Getting different perspectives from women of different ages and backgrounds is the point of the show that Bill Geddie and Barbara Walters created — though it was apparently never intended to be get political.
Bill Geddie allegedly said as much, according to Whoopi Goldberg, who recalled the support she got from the co-creator when she found herself in hot water for her defense of Michael Vick amid his dogfighting arrest back when she first started on The View in 2007.
“That’s the beauty of the show. Everyone has an opinion, and that’s why we do it,” was what he’d said, according to the moderator, and Sherri Shepherd shared similar experiences in which she’d want to apologize for something she’d said, with Geddie reportedly telling her, “It’s not [The Apology Show]. It’s called The View.”
Only time will tell whether or not ABC is really concerned about the direction of the talk show, which has garnered 31 Daytime Emmy Awards. The View is set to return for a 27th season this fall, but with the writer’s and actor’s strikes ongoing, you’ll have to keep your eye on the 2023 TV schedule for updates on that and all of the other upcoming premiere dates.
