The Southern Charm Star That Nearly Landed A Seat On The View

ABC News' "The View" is known for its diverse lineup of female co-hosts, a concept created by Barbara Walters in 1997. The daytime talk show aims to bring together women from various industries and generations with differing perspectives to tackle the so-called Hot Topics. From Walters herself to popular figures like Meredith Vieira, Whoopi Goldberg, and Joy Behar, the show mostly rounds up women from the entertainment and news industries.

However, the iconic discussion panel almost had a reality celebrity join their table — "Southern Charm" star Cameran Eubanks. The Bravo TV reality show, featuring life in the South with all its drama, was rocked to its core when Eubanks opted to leave in 2020 after six seasons. The real reason Eubanks left "Southern Charm" was her conviction that reality television, following the swirling rumors of her husband's infidelity, was no longer a healthy environment for her. In her book, "One Day You'll Thank Me," according to People, Eubanks addressed the drama, writing, "False accusations can be made and nasty rumors can be started for the sake of a 'good show.' It just started to feel a bit icky."

Shortly after her departure from "Southern Charm," ABC announced that Eubanks was being considered for a vacant guest co-host seat on "The View," but the reality star never landed the role.

In 2021, "The View" co-host Meghan McCain opted to quit the talk show, leaving her seat at the legendary table empty. According to Variety, McCain shared in her audio memoir, "Bad Republic," that her feud with Joy Behar greatly impacted her decision to leave. In addition, she was dealing with anxiety following the birth of her first child and no longer felt comfortable on TV. Soon after, speculation arose about who her conservative replacement would be, with Cameran Eubanks being one of the possible choices.

According to a Showbiz Cheat Sheet report, ABC released a statement regarding McCain's stand-in, which read. "Continuing the mission of dynamic conversations with diverse points of view, 'The View' is taking a little time to fill the co-host seat vacant since Meghan McCain's departure at the end of season 24." During the interim period, a number of famous faces appeared as guest co-hosts, including "RHONY" star Eboni K. Williams, Condoleezza Rice, Gretchen Carlson, and others.

However, Eubanks never appeared on "The View." The talk show's executive producer, Brian Teta, shared on the "Behind the Table" podcast that someone from "Southern Charm" had auditioned for the vacant co-host seat, without explicitly naming Eubanks. Subsequently, Entertainment Weekly was able to confirm Eubanks was indeed mentioned in the since-deleted press release. Teta added: "It was very exciting. It did not pan out."

Although the reasons for Cameran Eubanks not securing a spot on "The View" remain unclear, we at least know who landed the sought-after seat. Almost a year after it was speculated Eubanks would be the one to fill Meghan McCain's spot, Variety confirmed Alyssa Farah Griffin would be taking on the role of representing the Republican perspective on the long-running daytime talk show. Griffin, who is a former member of Donald Trump's staff, officially joined "The View's" table in Season 26.

During her talk on the "Behind the Table" podcast with Brian Teta, as per Entertainment Weekly, Griffin discussed the audition process, saying, "I was like, 'That's very stiff competition.'" According to Griffin, Eubanks rooted for her to land the job despite auditioning herself. Interestingly, Eubanks had reportedly favored another reality star, Paige DeSorbo, best known for her appearance on Bravo TV's "Summer House," as a potential co-host. However, it's unclear if DeSorbo was ever seriously considered, as Griffin mentioned that she never actually auditioned for the role.