“The View” has not yet officially announced a new co-host to replace Meghan McCain, but according to a report, its hosts and producers have a favorite candidate.
Alyssa Farah Griffin was one of several rotating co-hosts who filled in this season after McCain’s exit in August last year, and according to Page Six, “The View” producers love that the former Trump White House staffer doesn’t bring toxic drama to the show.
“They did not want another Meghan McCain,” multiple unnamed sources told the outlet.
McCain allegedly inspired tension and conflict both on air and behind the scenes when she was part of the show. This allegedly divided viewers and wasn’t good for morale on set, Page Six claimed.
Griffin, on the other hand, “has a lot of fans at ABC, and [ABC News president] Kim Godwin likes her,” one unnamed insider told the outlet.
“She adds a nice dynamic to the table and good conversation,” the source added of Griffin.
On Tuesday, multiple outlets, including Variety, reported that Griffin, who formerly served as White House director of strategic communications and assistant to President Donald Trump, was in final talks to join “The View” as the new conservative co-host of the daytime talk show.
Multiple unnamed sources told the publication that ABC executives chose Griffin, 33, to join Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro at the table on “The View” for its 26th season, which kicks off in the fall.
A spokesperson for “The View” did not confirm nor deny Griffin’s casting, telling Variety in a statement: “We do not have a co-host announcement to make at this time. Stay tuned.”
“The View” has had difficulty finding the right conservative fit for the show, sources told Page Six. Wanda Sykes reportedly pulled out of an appearance after her publicist learned that Griffin would be a part of the panel.
“[The show has] have a good chunk of conservative viewers, so they need that balance – especially because they tend to slant in the other direction,” the first source told Page Six.
The insider claimed that producers hope Griffin will become a fan favorite like the past right-wing host Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Candace Cameron Bure. Hasselbeck and the “Full House” star were reportedly loved by the viewers, audience members and the other hosts, according to the source.
Last year, Cameron Bure spoke about her stint on “The View” when she appeared on ABC’s “Behind the Table” podcast.
She said she suffered “stress and anxiety” and “has PTSD” from her time co-hosting the show from 2015 to 2016 for Seasons 19 and 20. She also revealed that she often ended up “crying before the show” due to the stress.
“When I felt like I was going into a show that I didn’t have a clear opinion about or it was something that I was legitimately nervous to talk about because I did have an opinion about it but I knew I was the only one at the table that had my opinion, I would just get sick to my stomach,” she said on the podcast. “I hated that feeling. And then I’m like, ‘I don’t know who’s going to come at me.'”
Despite the pressures and the stress, Cameron Bure said she does not regret signing on for “The View,” adding that “there were so many wonderful takeaways” and that she was still “grateful” for the opportunity.
Photo: ABC News/Frame Grab
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