What These Former Co-Hosts From The View Are Doing Today
Since 1997, the Emmy-winning daytime talk show "The View" has been hosted by a panel of women who discuss topical issues and share their opinions. As one of the creators and original co-hosts, Barbara Walters, said of her vision for "The View," she wanted to "find four smart women of different ages and different personalities who could disagree without killing one another and, better still, might actually like each other," as Time reported.
Some might say that the show has strayed a bit from Walters' original intention. Nevertheless, it remains a cultural touchstone in the United States, continually garnering attention for something someone said.
And it's the women who've hosted the show who are responsible for its success. Right or wrong, the show's hosts have been unapologetically themselves throughout its run. It's not an easy gig, though, and the host chairs have been something of a revolving door. While some hosts — Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg most notably — have kept their positions for years now, most of the other co-hosts have popped in and out, almost inevitably leaving for something new. Here's what these former co-hosts from "The View" are doing today.
Meredith Vieira is hosting a game show
Meredith Vieira is one of the original co-hosts of "The View." The broadcast journalist stayed on until 2006 when she left to co-anchor "Today." Vieira has consistently contributed to and hosted other news and talk show programs, even guest-hosting "The View" occasionally, and she's hosted multiple game shows. Vieira spent years hosting "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," and most recently, she's been hosting "25 Words or Less," a game show that tests contestants' word skills. There are multiple contestants in each episode, and the winner walks away with a $10,000 prize.
Even after decades of talking for a living, Vieira doesn't think she'd be very good at the game. "It's a lot of pressure," Vieira said to Fox 7 Austin of competing on the show. "It's hard. It takes a lot of composure. ... It's much easier to be the host than be a contestant," she added.
Star Jones is presiding over Divorce Court
Another one of the original co-hosts of "The View" is Star Jones. The attorney and journalist left the talk show the same year former co-host Meredith Vieira did, but for all those years, Jones sat next to the legendary broadcast journalist Barbara Walters. Jones has said that she learned a lot while sitting next to Walters all those years, but one of the best pieces of advice she ever received from her was, "Don't let anybody sit in your seat and replace you — because they might replace you," as Jones said in an interview on "Sherri."
Jones stayed plenty busy after leaving "The View," and these days, she's flexing her old legal muscles as the host of "Divorce Court." Jones replaced Faith Jenkins as arbitrator, and she now gets paid to listen to people who used to be in a relationship hash out their issues on national television.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck returned as a guest host
"The View" has never shied away from talking about politics and has often had a conservative voice on its panel. For many years, that spot was occupied by Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck often clashed with her co-hosts but was unafraid to speak her mind. She left after 10 years on the show, but that wasn't the last "The View" audience saw of her. In 2022, Hasselbeck returned to set as a guest host for a period of time. "It will be an honor to co-host 'The View,' share our bestselling children's book, 'Flashlight Night,' and as always, tackle hot topics! Pray for me y'all!" Hasselbeck said to People ahead of her temporary return.
The book Hasselbeck mentioned is a children's book she wrote during the COVID-19 pandemic to help kids process their fears and learn how to implement prayer in their lives. It was inspired by her own life with her children.
Rosie O'Donnell interviews celebrities on her podcast
Another memorable co-host of "The View" was Rosie O'Donnell, despite her short tenure. The comedian joined the show in 2006 and left in 2007 after a heated on-screen argument with former co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck. O'Donnell returned for another season in 2014 but left again in 2015. And don't expect to see her return again. On Brooke Shields' podcast "Now What?" O'Donnell opened up about her time on "The View," saying, "I know this, it's not the best use of my talent to get in a show where I have to argue and defend basic principles of humanity and kindness. It was not something I'd ever do again."
Now O'Donnell uses her talents to host her own podcast, "Onward With Rosie O'Donnell." O'Donnell's podcast is in an interview format, and her guests have included high-profile celebrities like Billy Porter, Kristin Chenoweth, Cyndi Lauper, and Holland Taylor.
Sherri Shepherd has her own daytime talk show
Sherri Shepherd had a notable run on "The View," co-hosting from 2007 until 2014. After leaving the talk show, Shepherd pursued more acting work, as she had prior to and during her tenure on "The View," in projects like "Ride Along 2," "Mr. Iglesias," and "The Sex Lives of College Girls." Shepherd could also be seen co-hosting and guest hosting programs like "The Wendy Williams Show" and "Dish Nation."
Now Shepherd has her own talk show, "Sherri," which began in 2022 and featured some former "The View" co-hosts as guests. In 2023, it was renewed for a second season. "I'm grateful for this rockstar TV team that helped make the first season of Sherri a success and the No. 1 new talk show in daytime. Expect the unexpected as we embark on our second season!" Shepherd shared in a statement, as reported by Deadline.
Jenny McCarthy is a panelist on The Masked Singer
Many a co-host has come and gone after a short stint on "The View," including Jenny McCarthy. McCarthy, who seems to have had nearly every job under the entertainment sun, was only a co-host of the talk show for one season. The actor seems to have found her favorite gig now, though. McCarthy has appeared as a panelist on nearly every episode of "The Masked Singer," the wildly popular musical reality competition TV series.
Ahead of its 10th season in 2023, McCarthy told Entertainment Tonight, "I have 30 more seasons in me. ... I'm hoping this is a show that can go on and on, like 'American Idol,'" McCarthy said. "[And] why not? There are a lot of celebrities that can sing and are hiding it." In addition to her work on "The Masked Singer," in 2023, McCarthy co-produced the "Spellers," a documentary about people who are non-verbal autistic.
Raven-Symoné hosts a podcast with her wife
"The Cosby Show," "That's So Raven," "The Cheetah Girls" — there are so many projects for which Raven-Symoné has been recognized that some may forget she also briefly co-hosted "The View." Symoné left the talk show in 2016 to star in the "That's So Raven" spin-off "Raven's Home," and in 2022, she returned to "The View," where she spoke on the spin-off's popularity. "I think people like the show because it feels familiar. It feels like their sister, their cousin, their best friend," Symoné said.
Alongside Symoné at her interview was her wife, Miranda Maday. Symoné gushed about the positive impact her wife has had on her life and on both their intimate and professional relationships. Since the interview, Symoné and Maday have taken their professional relationship one step further by co-hosting a podcast together, "The Best Podcast Ever With Raven and Miranda," which debuted in 2023.
Candace Cameron Bure started her own network
While Raven-Symoné was on "The View," so was Candace Cameron Bure. Bure, who's best known for her role as DJ Tanner in both "Full House" and "Fuller House," was a controversial figure on "The View," filling the slot as the outspoken conservative on the panel at the time. Much of her time since leaving "The View" in 2016 has been spent starring in Christmas films on the Hallmark Channel, and in late 2022, Bure announced that she'd be creating her own network, Great American Family, to share stories told from a conservative Christian viewpoint.
"My heart wants to tell stories that have more meaning and purpose and depth behind them. I knew that the people behind Great American Family were Christians that love the Lord and wanted to promote faith programming and good family entertainment," Bure told The Wall Street Journal of her inspiration for starting the new programming network.
Meghan McCain wrote about her experience on The View
Meghan McCain was another conservative panelist on "The View." Her time on the show was limited to just a few years, but it was a tumultuous experience for her. The tension between McCain and her co-hosts was evident, particularly between her and Joy Behar, who told McCain she hadn't missed her when she returned from maternity leave.
In addition, after hearing Rosie O'Donnell's remarks about "The View" on Brook Shields' podcast, McCain decided to share a bit of her own perspective through an article in the Daily Mail.
In this article, she announced that she'll never return to the set and went on to note that many conservative co-hosts have had a tough time on the show. But from her perspective, it's not conservative values that make the job difficult. Instead, it's having views of any kind that differ from those of most of the other co-hosts. "The only way to survive on that show is to be vanilla pudding. Say nothing controversial with the elites, bow down, and don't actually do the job you were hired to do, which is voice your authentic opinions," she said.
Jedediah Bila left her podcast
Another former conservative co-host of "The View," Jedediah Bila was not part of the panel for long, and perhaps her most notable appearance on the show came long after she had left. In 2021, Bila was asked to return to the show as a guest, but because of ABC's COVID-19 vaccination policy and Bila's refusal to receive the vaccination, she had to appear virtually rather than in the studio. Joy Behar greeted Bila by explaining the situation, and it led to a heated debate between Bila and the co-hosts over the COVID-19 vaccine.
Shortly after that appearance, Bila started her own podcast, "Jedediah Bila LIVE." However, just over a year after its debut, Bila announced on Instagram, "I am no longer affiliated with Valuetainment, nor am I connected to the channel 'Jedediah Bila LIVE' any longer." Bila did not give a reason as to why her podcast ended, but she did add that she is "cooking up some amazing things and can't wait to share them."
Rosie Perez is still acting
"The View" has the power to garner massive talent for its panel. Barbara Walters had been nominated for several Primetime Emmys prior to the start of "The View." Whoopi Goldberg had achieved EGOT status before beginning her tenure on the show. And Rosie Perez had Emmy and Oscar nominations to her name when she joined the cast. Perez has worn many hats throughout her entertainment career, but she's always maintained a focus on acting, which she continued after leaving "The View."
Today Perez is still acting, with "Birds of Prey," "The Flight Attendant," and "Your Honor" among her biggest projects since her 2015 exit from the talk show. Leaving a stable job can be risky for an actor, but for Perez, leaving "The View" was positive. Years later, Perez was interviewed by NPR and said of her career, "[T]here's been highs. There's been lows. There's been mostly highs, thank God. But right now it's really high, and I'm very, very happy."
Nicolle Wallace is the host of a news program
From 2014 to 2015, Nicolle Wallace was a co-host of "The View." Wallace's background is in politics, and she gained widespread notoriety when she served as the White House communications director under President George W. Bush. The former bureaucrat joined "The View" with viewers expecting her to be its next token conservative voice, but Wallace proved to bring more of a balanced perspective than anticipated, and she ultimately lost her slot because of it. "I think the problem was it wasn't contentious that season I was on. ... It really was a casting, and it was a casting they didn't like," Wallace told the L.A. Times of her exit from "The View."
After leaving "The View," Wallace returned to what she knows best — politics. Wallace has been the host of "Deadline: White House" on MSNBC since 2017, and it affords her unique opportunities, like interviewing the president of the United States.
Paula Faris wrote a children's book
Paula Faris' stint on "The View" was relatively long. Co-hosting the talk show from 2015 to 2018, Faris was on the panel for years longer than many others on this list. Faris was also a correspondent on "Good Morning America" while she was on "The View," and she left both the same year to start "The Paula Faris 'Faith & Calling' Podcast." Faris hasn't released any new episodes of her podcast since March 2023.
Faris has, however, been writing. Faris authored a children's book, "Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?" which shows children that their future careers shouldn't be their only focus. "I wanted to write this book because I want us to start asking the question of 'Who do you want to be?' but I want us to have a different conversation with our kids," Faris told "Good Morning America," adding that the kind of person we are is more important than what we do for a living.
Abby Huntsman has stepped out of the spotlight
Abby Huntsman was on "The View" from 2018 to 2020, shocking regular viewers with her sudden announcement to leave. Huntsman, who quit her job to help out with her father's gubernatorial campaign in 2020, sang her co-hosts' and the show's praises when she announced her exit on the show, but she later revealed she was not happy at the show. As she said on "The View: Behind the Table," "I did feel trapped sometimes, because I felt like just to be me wasn't what the executives at the time always wanted."
After the 2020 election season ended, Huntsman launched a podcast, "I Wish Somebody Told Me," which she co-hosted with Lauren Leeds. The podcast has seemingly ended, though (the last recorded episode was released in June 2022). And Huntsman seems to be taking a step back from life in the public eye entirely. Huntsman hasn't posted to X since January 2023, and her Instagram account is set to private.
Lisa Ling joined CBS News
Longtime fans of "The View" will remember Lisa Ling, a co-host who was on the show from 1999 to 2002. As Ling said, she left to pursue another reporting job. "If I don't do it now, I may never want to do it. Two years from now, I may be thinking about settling down and may not want to travel," Ling told The Associated Press. Among the programs Ling has hosted since leaving "The View" are "National Geographic Explorer," "Our America With Lisa Ling," and "This Is Life With Lisa Ling."
Now, if you want to see Ling, you can watch CBS News. The reporter joined as a correspondent in May 2023. "I can't think of a better home for my style of reporting than CBS News, given its tradition of exceptional news gathering and thoughtful storytelling. I'm honored to be working with this venerable organization to tell the stories of people behind the headlines whose voices need to be heard," Ling told CBS.