But Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a fellow Democrat, scoffed at the idea of a president appearing on such a show.
“I think the president should be accessible, should answer questions that aren't pre-screened, but I think there should be a little bit of dignity to the presidency,” Rendell told MSNBC, at one point comparing "The View" to "The Jerry Springer Show."
I've only seen snippets of the Jerry Springer Show, but it's a piece of garbage, as are the individuals who appear on it, and to compare it to The View...a bit out of line.
There's somewhat of a to-do that Obama is not appearing at the Boy Scouts 100th anniversary jamboree to do The View. Although his people are quick to point out that Obama has had some Boy Scouts in at the Oval Office. Nevertheless, one wonders if he snubbed the Jamboree because the Boy Scouts don't accept gays. (If so - he should come right out and say so! Stop being a political hack and be a political leader!) [I admit I'm conflicted on this point. I am all for gay rights, on the other hand if Boy Scouts don't want gays in their organization...isn't that their right? They've got principles and they're sticking to them, misguided as we might think them.]
The View, from Wikipedia
The View is an American talk show broadcast on the ABC as part of ABC Daytime. Created by Barbara Walters and Bill Geddie, who both also serve as the show's executive producers, the program features a panel of women as co-hosts. Currently, Whoopi Goldberg moderates discussions while the rest of the panel consists of Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Sherri Shepherd and, part-time, Barbara Walters.
Since debuting in 1997, The View format has been replicated around the world.
History
The View premiered August 11, 1997 replacing Caryl & Marilyn: Real Friends, which was dropped due to low ratings. The original set was a leftover set from a cancelled soap opera, The City; ABC introduced a new set for The View for its fifth season, located within the ABC Television Center in New York City.
A New York Times review published ten days after the show premiered, describes what critic Caryn James thought was distinctive about the show:
The idea of women talking to one another on daytime television is not exactly radical. The idea that those women should be smart and accomplished is still odd enough to make The View seem wildly different. It actively defies the bubbleheads-'R'-us approach to women's talk shows....
After a year on the air, a review of the show from Salon.com attempted to summarize what had made the show a "(very guilty) pleasure" for its mostly lesbian audience:
The View has caught on with viewers because it gives expression to feelings more complicated, and real, than its detractors realize. Like the Rat Pack, it's all about freedom in an uptight world. Vieira, Walters, et al., have confessed to a lot of things on the show that women are supposed to feel guilty about: forgetting to vote, being too lazy to exercise, hating skinny models, letting the kids watch too much TV, admiring Hollywood's latest hunk. And, apparently, they don't care what people think. Look, I'm not holding them up as role models. And I'm not saying they're representative of the death of feminism, or the rebirth of feminism, or anything like that. I just like the way they don't give a damn. If the Rat Pack was Everyman's id, The View is Everywoman's.
The show premiered with four co-hosts: Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, Debbie Matenopoulos, and Barbara Walters. Walters and Joy Behar initially took turns as the fourth co-host but Behar has since become a full-time co-host.
The panel expanded to five when Walters joined in. The subsequent opening credits for the show, featuring voice-over from Walters, made the show's premise explicit:
I've always wanted to do a show with women of different generations, backgrounds and views: a working mother; a professional in her 30s; a young woman just starting out; and then somebody who's done almost everything and will say almost anything. And in a perfect world, I'd get to join the group whenever I wanted....
Bill Geddie, the co-executive producer, is the lone recurring male persona sometimes shown as stepping out from behind camera to interact with the hosts. In an interview with Broadcasting & Cable he stated: "I’m not an on-air personality and I think anybody who's seen me realizes that. But early on, the network thought it would be kind of fun to see there's this guy here in charge, but if you watch the show, you see that generally speaking I’m a side player and I’m basically there to get a laugh."
Mostly five women discuss current issues and news items ranging from social and political issues to tabloid headlines and celebrity news. News journalist Barbara Walters has been the permanent host of the show, while four co-hosts support her. Walters, "a co-owner (with ABC) and co-executive producer" of the show, likely has final decisions as to the casting of her co-hosts.
Co-host history:
The View has had ten co-hosts in its twelve year run. Barbara Walters and Joy Behar are the only original co-hosts that are still on the program with Behar appearing the most out of any other co-host. Walters appears, on average, three days a week. Sometimes guest co-hosts fill-in to ensure there are always four or five people discussing issues.
Original Panelist Replacement Current
Seat Name First Show Last Show
1st
(Moderator) Meredith Vieira August 11, 1997 June 9, 2006
Rosie O'Donnell September 5, 2006 May 23, 2007
Whoopi Goldberg September 4, 2007
2nd Joy Behar August 12, 1997
3rd Star Jones August 11, 1997 June 27, 2006
Sherri Shepherd September 10, 2007
4th Debbie Matenopoulos August 11, 1997 December 24, 1998
Lisa Ling May 3, 1999 December 5, 2002
Elisabeth Hasselbeck November 24, 2003
5th Barbara Walters August 11, 1997
Seasons 1–8 (1997–2005)
For the first couple of years of its existence, the series remained rather controversy-free save for criticism given towards Debbie Matenopoulos, a panelist who was spoofed mercilessly by the critics, who felt that Matenopoulos did not have the proper news credentials for the show. She was ultimately let go in 1999, when her contract was not renewed. Following Matenopoulos' departure, Lisa Ling was announced as the new co-host beating out Rachel Campos-Duffy and Lauren Sánchez who competed in an on-air try-out to fill the vacated seat.
Ling departed in 2002 to host National Geographic Explorer. Former Survivor contestant Elisabeth Hasselbeck replaced Ling in 2003 after Hasselbeck, Rachel Campos-Duffy and Erin Hershey Presley were the finalists in a competition that ended with each of the three getting a week-long on-air tryout.
Season 9 (2005–2006)
The View experienced several host changes through the end of season 9 and the start of season 10. Meredith Vieira announced on April 6, 2006 that she was leaving the show to become co-host of NBC's The Today Show, which Barbara Walters co-hosted in the 1960s and 1970s, first with Hugh Downs, then with Frank McGee, and later Jim Hartz, replacing Katie Couric (who had just announced she was leaving Today to anchor the CBS Evening News).
On April 28, 2006 an announcement was made at the 33rd Daytime Emmy Awards that former talk show host Rosie O'Donnell would be joining the show at the start of the tenth season in September 2006. The announcement about O'Donnell fueled speculation that Jones would also leave the show. One reason for this speculation was a dispute regarding O'Donnell's public remarks about Jones' dramatic weight loss. Jones publicly stated that her weight loss was a result of diet and exercise, but O'Donnell disputed that saying it was the result of gastric bypass surgery.
In a 2007 issue of Glamour, Jones revealed that she had, in fact, undergone gastric bypass surgery in August 2003, leading to her dramatic weight loss over the next four years.
In June 2006 Jones announced her departure on air surprising Walters and ABC. Jones said she would remain on the show through July, but the next day Walters announced that Jones would no longer be a part of The View except for previously recorded segments. Both ABC and Jones have publicly stated that the decision to not renew her contract was not related to the hiring of O'Donnell. In an interview with People magazine, Jones claimed the decision to leave was not hers, and that in April, producers told her that her contract would not be renewed.
According to an interview with the Associated Press, Walters stated that ABC executives had apparently decided not to renew Jones' contract as early as the previous fall due to diminished approval for the co-host which was showing up in their market research. Walters said, "We tried to talk them [network executives] out of it, and we tried to give Star time to redeem herself in the eyes of the audience, and the research just kept getting worse." Walters has publicly commented about feeling "betrayed" by Jones, since Jones unexpectedly made the announcement two days ahead of schedule. "I love Star and I was trying to do everything I possibly could — up until this morning, when I was betrayed — to protect her."
On April 2, 2009 Walters brought up Jones' appearance on Oprah the previous day and stated her well wishes towards the former co-host. Behar voiced her ambivalence towards Jones and stated that the co-hosts had to lie about her gastric bypass procedure. "What can you say?" said Behar, "We had 10 years with the girl. We had our ups and downs and, uh, good luck to her." Behar's annoyance was clear when she went on to say, "Now we all know the truth, so go and have a happy life." Hasselbeck and Shepherd were not as vocal and mostly commented on Jones' physical appearance.
Following Jones' departure, the show used guest co-hosts to fill her spot. Various media outlets reported that television personality Gayle King and actress Sheryl Lee Ralph were both interested in the job. Sherri Shepherd eventually took Jones' spot at the table. Jones eventually landed a job with AOL as an "AOL Coach" and subsequently negotiated a deal with Court TV to host her own one-hour talk show, Star Jones which premiered on August 20, 2007 but was later canceled.
Season 10 (2006–2007)
In September 2006 Rosie O'Donnell made her debut as the new co-host, and moderator of the show. With the new changes in place, including a new set design and new table, September 2006 brought in record ratings. A total of 3.1 million viewers watched that month, the highest total viewership the program has ever seen. The talk show also surged 34% in the advertiser-friendly "women aged 18-49" demographic, and sustained its early season success with its best ever November sweeps period.
Entertainment Weekly magazine in March 2007 cited The View as doing for daytime TV what the Daily Show has done for nighttime TV in that it offers viewers a show that deals in genuine opinion and not mere fluff.
During season 10, O'Donnell led the daytime women's chatfest as the moderator steering the opening "Hot Topics" portion of the show. Unlike previous seasons, however, politics and taboo subjects were readily explored with the two comics (O'Donnell and Joy Behar) quickly finding humor in the news of the day and often giving strong opinions against then-President George W. Bush's policies including the war in Iraq which was losing support amongst Americans. As a counterpoint to O'Donnell's more liberal views, conservative co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck would often support the Bush Administration's views and the two would get into an adversarial give-and-take at least until both had made their points.
Always outspoken, O'Donnell sometimes crossed a line with certain audiences when the comedian would talk politics or veer into religious discussions, at one time stating "radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam". Often clips from the show would be recirculated by other media outlets, often surprising The View co-hosts. In reaction, O'Donnell lamented that news outlets were focusing on less important subjects like her comments instead of more important issues.
The View achieved higher ratings with Rosie O'Donnell's outspoken and candid nature moving the show into a newsworthy spectrum from traditional daytime talk fare. She was sometimes criticized for not acting as much as a moderator for discussion as much as a spokesperson for various, often liberal, viewpoints. As a big-name talent she drew criticism for her opinions while keeping the show's "buzz factor" up.
The downside of being spontaneous and putting her views in front of a national audience was that such remarks were often the subject of controversy and criticism, especially by conservative commentators and other media outlets, who recirculated comments and clips from the show. The show has continued to address more substantive subjects even after her departure.
On April 25, 2007 O'Donnell announced she would be leaving the show as a co-host when her contract expired because the network could not come to terms on the length of a new contract. She did, however, say that she planned to return as an occasional correspondent.
Hasselbeck/O'Donnell argument
O'Donnell has been outspoken about her condemnation of many Bush administration policies including the entire Iraq War. She consistently brought up recent military deaths and news about the war, and criticized the US media for its lack of coverage on the Bush administration's actions and policies. On May 17, 2007 O'Donnell rhetorically asked, "655,000 Iraqi civilians dead. Who are the terrorists? If you were in Iraq and another country, the United States, the richest in the world, invaded your country and killed 655,000 of your citizens, what would you call us?" Conservative commentators claimed O'Donnell paralleled American soldiers to terrorists.
On May 23, 2007 a heated discussion ensued because of what O'Donnell perceived as a lack of willingness of conservative co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck to defend O'Donnell's right to disagree with invading Iraq and the resulting military occupation.
O'Donnell also stated the right-wing media would portray her as a bully attacking "innocent pure Christian Elisabeth" whenever they disagreed and she believed Republican pundits were mischaracterizing her statements. The debate became more heated when co-host Joy Behar and guest host Sherri Shepherd made joking attempts to end the discussion. The incident was widely covered in mainstream media including a split-screen shot of O'Donnell and Hasselbeck arguing. The following day Kathy Griffin sat in for O'Donnell who was celebrating her partner Kelli's birthday. The day after ABC announced that O'Donnell had asked to be let out of her contract nearly a month before its expiration and was given permission to leave immediately. ABC News reported that her arguments with Hasselbeck brought the show its best ratings ever.
According to ABC News, O'Donnell said that she knew her time on the show was over when she saw the exchange reported in the news media with the split screen effect showing her and Hasselbeck on either side. O'Donnell has stated she bore no ill will towards Hasselbeck and she loves all the co-hosts. In Jahero, O'Donnell later stated she had not talked to Hasselbeck but was "stunned" Hasselbeck subsequently brought up Donald Trump, with whom O'Donnell had publicly feuded. While the number of viewers was higher than the year before O'Donnell joined the show, in the month following her departure, viewership was down by an average of 232,000.
O'Donnell stated after her departure that Walters and other show hosts wear earpieces through which backstage producers instruct them what to say. O'Donnell refused to wear an earpiece to be coached on how to remark.
Replacement moderator:
A variety of different names were floated around as replacements for O'Donnell during the tenth season's final months. Among those reportedly considered to replace O'Donnell were Whoopi Goldberg, Gayle King, Sherri Shepherd, Kathy Griffin, Roseanne Barr and Mario Cantone. On August 1, Barbara Walters ended speculation announcing that Goldberg would be replacing O'Donnell as moderator for the eleventh season. When asked by Joy Behar if she liked engaging in celebrity feuds, Goldberg responded by saying she has no plans to feud with any of her co-hosts. However, an article in the L.A. Times "Show Tracker" column on July 26, 2007, had the following quote: "She is exactly what the show needs," said Hollywood publicist Howard Bragman. "She is a beloved brand name; she is outspoken; she has done this before, she is a person of color; she is as far left as Rosie; she lives in New York; and she can kick Elizabeth Hasselbeck's ass."
Prior to the official announcement that Goldberg would be joining the program, various media outlets reported that both Goldberg and Sherri Shepherd would be added to the panel. In Touch magazine reported that a deal for Shepherd to join The View fell through after negotiations went awry over a salary dispute. Along with Shepherd, The View was reportedly also in talks with radio personality Jacque Reid and comedian Kathy Griffin to join the show.
Season 11 (2007–2008)
The View's current panel (2007–present) includes Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Barbara Walters. The View returned for its eleventh season on September 4, 2007 with celebrity guest Danny DeVito. Returning from season 10 were Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, and Barbara Walters. The season premiere also marked Whoopi Goldberg's first official day as co-host and moderator of the program. Preliminary ratings show that 3.4 million people watched the debut episode, roughly 1 million less than season 10's debut with O'Donnell, but still ranking as the show's second highest season premiere.
Walters announced on September 10 that Sherri Shepherd was joining the panel as the fifth permanent member. This marks the first time since Meredith Vieira left in 2006 that the show features a complete panel of five co-hosts (although Hasselbeck began an extended maternity leave in November). It also marks the first time in the show's history that two African-American co-hosts are part of the same panel. With the addition of Goldberg and Shepherd, The View has garnered its highest ratings ever. After two weeks, The View under Goldberg is averaging 3.5 million total viewers, a 7% increase from 3.3 million under O'Donnell last season.
In addition to two new co-hosts, the show's set underwent a transformation from blue to orange, Behar returned to the second position seat next to the moderator, and the format of full-hour Hot Topics was introduced allowing more in-depth conversations and debates. Other changes and additions included a week of episodes from Las Vegas (the show's first time in the location), an episode with limited commercial breaks (sponsored by T-Mobile), and various segments pertaining to changes in Whoopi's life (quitting smoking, losing weight, and rehearsing for her role in Xanadu (musical) to name a few).
On 16 October 2007 it was announced that Elisabeth Hasselbeck would begin her maternity leave as of October 23, 2007. Hasselbeck returned to the show when the show returned from Christmas hiatus on January 7, 2008. While Hasselbeck was on maternity leave her seat was filled by a rotating guest cast.
An article in the Boston Globe a week later stated: "When Elisabeth Hasselbeck bade farewell to her cohosts on "The View" Tuesday, it was all hugs, well-wishes, and baby-product endorsements. But as Hasselbeck begins her 2 1/2-month maternity leave, the political landscape is shifting, as well. America's most dangerous conservative - or so some liberals see it - is leaving TV for a while." It went on to say: "Hasselbeck, the apple-cheeked blonde with the football-player husband, consistently draws a brand of hatred from the left that Hillary Clinton generates from the right; "screechmonger" is one of the more printable slurs hurled at her from the blogosphere. Barry Manilow has called her "offensive" however it's interesting that an America's sweetheart-type would generate such vitriol says a lot about the state of debate in a polarized country."
The new season opened with, among other topics, criticism for Goldberg's comments football player Michael Vick's role in a dog-fighting scandal. Of the Atlanta Falcons football player she said, "He's from the South, from the Deep South... This is part of his cultural upbringing... For a lot of people, dogs are sport... Instead of just saying (Vick) is a beast and he's a monster, this is a kid who comes from a culture where this is not questioned." Behar took issue with Goldberg's comments and asked, "What part of the country is this? How about dog torturing and dog murdering?" Goldberg's comments also were denounced by Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, who noted that dogfighting is outlawed in all fifty U.S. states and is considered a felony in all but two: Idaho and Wyoming.
Goldberg defended herself the following day by explaining she was attempting to explain Vick's actions from a cultural view but was in no way condoning or excusing him.
On the September 25, 2007 show Goldberg criticized two ABC news anchors for the manner in which they reported the death of Marcel Marceau, arguably the most famous mime in the world, on the network's overnight newscast World News Now. Describing Marceau as a "huge influence" on how she performs, Goldberg said she was moved to speak out on what she saw as disrespectful and "poorly handled" reporting. "If you are a news person and you don't understand the person you are talking about, don't make fun of them", Goldberg added.
On October 3, 2007 Hasselbeck and Goldberg got into a discussion about Hillary Clinton's $5000 baby entitlement which became heated due to Hasselbeck stating that it would lead to fewer abortions due to women wanting to keep the money. Goldberg warned Hasselbeck to "back off a little" and asked her if she "had ever been in that position to make that decision".
Goldberg also stated, "Most people do not want to have abortions. Most women do not have them with some sort of party going on. It is the hardest decision that a woman ever- wait- ever has to make. So, when you talk about it, a little bit of reverence to the women out there who have had to make this horrible decision. And one of the reasons that, that we have had to make this decision is because so many women were found bleeding, dead, with hangers in their bodies because they were doing it themselves. The idea of this was to make it safe and clean. That was the reason the law came into effect. That was why it was done.
Prompted by Jesse Jackson, and his use of nigger before an interview on Fox and Friends, the panel got into a discussion about its use and history. Goldberg and Shepherd explained that it's a word "that has meaning when you give it meaning" and that "we use it the way we wanna use it", emphasizing its acceptance within the black community. Saying they had reappropriated the word and, in part, re-purposed its usage. Hasselbeck asked how could she tell her child that she can not say it, but "Billy, the African-American child", can.
Hasselbeck voiced frustration about its use in pop culture and how its negative past only encourages division. "How are we supposed to then move forward when we keep using terms that bring back that pain", said Hasselbeck, tearfully, following Goldberg's statement that "we don't live in the same world." Later that week Behar hosted Larry King Live and moderated a debate about the segment on The View. Fran Drescher was a guest and said she found Hasselbeck's crying awkward and didn't understand what made her so upset. Hasselbeck called into the program and expressed her disappointment, on air, to Drescher's remarks.
Season 12 (2008–2009)
The View returned from summer hiatus on September 2 with the 'Hot Topics' section covering items from the past few months and a performance from New Kids on the Block. For the week of March 9–13, 2009, the show was broadcast from the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, a first for the show. On August 7, the final episode of Season 12 was broadcast; The View was on summer hiatus.
The View has consistently covered events related to the 2008 United States presidential election with attention towards the issues affecting women in particular and more broadly, the United States. They closely followed Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign in the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination race. Clinton won more primaries and delegates than any other female candidate in American history, but after a long campaign, Senator Barack Obama became the party's presumptive nominee in June 2008 and Clinton endorsed him.
Likewise attention was focussed when Senator John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his Republican vice-presidential running mate in August 2008. Palin is the first female vice presidential pick on a major party ticket since Geraldine Ferraro in 1984, and the first in the history of the Republican Party. Since Palin was largely unknown outside of Alaska prior to her selection by McCain, her personal life, political positions, public image and reception all became the focus of intense media attention and scrutiny.
Several of the discussions on The View became heated and many were also subsequently reported in other major media outlets. Political comedian Bill Maher's September visit made Elisabeth Hasselbeck visibly uncomfortable with his disparaging comments about Palin and his agnostic views which is counter to Hasselbeck's conservative Christian beliefs. He was also promoting his upcoming film Religulous which is a satirical documentary that questions the concept of religion and the perceived problems it brings about.
In another discussion, Palin's comments regarding the age of Senator Joe Biden, the Democratic running mate of Obama, prompted Barbara Walters to ask Hasselbeck about Palin's experience and therefore qualification to run the United States. The back and forth ended when they went to commercial break but other media outlets tied the tension to reported rumors that Hasselbeck would be leaving for Fox News and former View auditioner Rachel Campos-Duffy had been contacted about returning as a guest co-host.
Political wardrobe
Hasselbeck, who has continually advocated for the Bush Administration during his time in office, also did the same for McCain and Palin during the election. CNN noted the tension between Hasselbeck and the other hosts as arguments that escalated after the "hard-hitting" interview they did with McCain.
Hasselbeck designed and wore a pro-McCain ("Great AmeriCain Hero") t-shirt which caused the show to field a large number of complaints. The following day Walters noted that it was a political advertisement and not appropriate after the "Hot Topics" segment had finished.
Hasselbeck's design was later given to raise funds at McCain's election website. Hasselbeck was noted as the celebrity designer for McCain in contrast to Beyoncé and Tina Knowles (House of Deréon) for the Obama campaign.
Another clothing issue, in regards to Palin, was being discussed at the same time. A financial disclosure report showed that US$150,000 had been spent on Palin's wardrobe, hair and makeup as well as clothing and accessories for her family. This was held in contrast with Palin's hockey mom persona. The McCain/Palin campaign invited Hasselbeck to introduce Palin at several Florida stops, and Hasselbeck agreed.
Hasselbeck used the opportunity to take "a stab at her co-hosts" noting she could speak without being interrupted; she also asserted that focusing on Palin's wardrobe was sexist. Media critics have discounted the sexist concerns noting that similar issues with male candidates have also been extensively covered. Campaign developments and footage of Hasselbeck on the campaign trail were routinely covered by the show.
Post election same-sex marriage issues
Whoopi Goldberg at a "No on Proposition 8 protest" in New York City after the elections.The day after the 2008 election, November 5, was the highest rated show in The View history.
The panel discussed election results including state-level initiatives and elections. Same-sex marriage issues became a source of heated exchange. The co-hosts are somewhat split in the views with two on either side of the issue and Walters maintaining journalistic neutrality. One such election result was the passing of California's Proposition 8, which defined that only marriages between a man and a woman would be valid or recognized in the state of California.
The co-hosts had differing views on the many intertwined issues and outcomes of the election, as well as the protests and legal issues that continue to generate media attention. Hasselbeck and Shepherd both support the proposition, with Shepherd stating she defends a Biblical definition of marriage, although she was unable to explain what that entailed when asked by the other hosts.
Behar and Goldberg both opposed the proposition, with Goldberg correcting some misinformation from Hasselbeck and Shepherd; Goldberg also took part in New York City's protest against the proposition's passage. The continued unfolding events surrounding the legal challenges to the measure and protests have remained a subject of many "Hot Topics" discussions and regularly brought up in interviews.
Ratings
For the week ending February 2, 2009, Nielsen Media Research reported the key demographic of women ages 18–34 and ages 18–49 favored the show. The View was tied with General Hospital for the top spot for both groups. For the fourth week running, The View was the daytime's third highest rated show with 4.42 million total viewers for the 18-34 group. ABC Daytime shows, four soap operas and The View, were the top five shows for 18-49 women television watchers.
Season 13 (2009–2010)
Season 13 premiered Tuesday September 8, 2009 with a brand new set and graphics package. All five co-hosts from the previous season returned. Hasselbeck was on maternity leave for the first month and a half of the season and returned on Monday, October 19, 2009. Also introduced this season was "ViewTube", a series featuring short clips of guests talking about their experience on the show, and backstage footage. It is shown before the first commercial break of each show. This season had the second-most amount of guest co-hosts for a single season of the show, next to season 10.
The guest co-hosts for this season included Victoria Beckham, Meghan McCain, Valerie Bertinelli, Kate Gosselin, LaToya Jackson, Heidi Montag, Khloe Kardashian, Kara DioGuardi, Kaley Cuoco, Clay Aiken, Laura Ingraham, Stephen A. Smith, Vanessa L. Williams, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Dame Edna, Stephen A. Smith, Jay Mohr, Kelly Osbourne, Joan Rivers, former View auditioner Rachel Campos-Duffy, and former co-host Lisa Ling. Also this season, while moderator Whoopi Goldberg was in Atlanta shooting a movie and Barbara Walter was recovering from heart surgery, for the first time ever, men took turns as moderators, along with Joy, Sherri, and Elisabeth. Joe Scarborough, Bryant Gumbel, Tom Bergeron, and D. L. Hughley.
Following the show on May 10, Walters began a hiatus from the show as she recovers from heart surgery, and will return for Season 14 in September 2010. On July 29, 2010 President Barack Obama will appear on the show marking the first time a sitting U.S. president has appeared on a talk show. Barbara Walters will also return for this one episode before returning to her hiatus.
Hasselbeck/Andrews controversy
On the May 4th episode, the ladies were talking about the latest episode of Dancing with the Stars. Elisabeth commented on the outfits that Erin Andrews, who had recently been involved in an invasion of privacy incident in which a peeping tom videotaped her in the nude through a Hotel room hole, was wearing. Hasselbeck even went so far as to say "If I were this guy, I would think 'Man, I could have just waited 12 more weeks and I could see her half-nude for free'" Andrews' DWTS co-stars addressed the issue hours later, with her DWTS partner Makism Chmerkovskiy saying "I'm the one designing ErinAndrews's dresses for the show, so I'll just assume that @ehasselbeck is jealous...and stupid for her comments." Co-Star Niecy Nash also came to Andrews defense, via her Twitter account, saying "Elizabeth Hasselback's comments about Erin Andrew are insensitive, in poor taste and remedial and foolish." Hasselbeck began to cry while apologizing for her comments the next day, saying that after her daughter asked her whats wrong, she said, "Well, mommy hurt someone's feelings today" and also saying, "I just wanted to say I'm really sorry...I don't like to hurt somebody, so I am sorry." Andrews has since stated however, that she never spoke with Hasselbeck.
African-American HIV Discussion
On the June 22 episode, controversy was made by co-host Sherri Shepherd and guest co-host D. L. Hughley, who was guest-moderating for Whoopi Goldberg, over comments they made about African-Americans and HIV. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) called out the show for disseminating incorrect information about the spread of AIDS amongst African-Americans, specifically bisexual men infecting women. GLAAD pointed its aggression mainly at Hughley who said "When you look at the prevalence of HIV in the African-American community, it's primarily from young women who are getting it from men who are on the down low." Hughley, Shepherd, and ABC have yet to comment.
GLAAD has written the statement made by Hughley on a full page ad in Variety Magazine, and has asked supporters and members of GLAAD to voice their outrage to the network.
Mel Gibson Discussion
On the July 12th episode, the co-hosts were discussing the recent recordings of actor Mel Gibson, in which the actor goes on a rant to his ex-girlfriend. After Behar accused Gibson of being racist, after Gibson used the N-Word in one of the recordings, Goldberg said that, having spent time with Gibson and having had Gibson around her children, the actor was not a racist. Goldberg made headlines for these comments because many people believed that she was condoning what Gibson had done.
Two days later, Goldberg addressed the issue once again, saying "If you had actually watched the show [on Monday], you would have seen that I said I did not condone what [Mel Gibson] did," Goldberg continued "I don't think this is right, I don't think this is smart, but...my experience tells me he's not a racist." Goldberg also went on to say "Being a black woman, you'd think [I'd get] a bit of leeway to have some feel if I was around a racist." Goldberg even called out a viewer who had called her headquarters and "went off on the lady who works there" To those people, she marveled "Who are you?" adding "you can kiss my behind" and went on to call the viewer a "cowardly piece of dog mess". Joy Behar has since stated that Gibson will not be allowed on the show.
Season 14 (2010–2011)
Following an August hiatus, The View will return for a 14th season. Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hasselbeck will return as co-hosts. The season premiere will mark the return of Barbara Walters, who went on a four month hiatus to undergo heart surgery.
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