Top 10 Most Shocking The View Scandals

In June 2006, after nearly 10 years on the show, original panelist Star Jones surprised everyone by announcing her departure. This came as a shock, not only to the viewers, but also to her fellow panelists. Behind the scenes, Jones had been informed that her contract would not be renewed, and was given a specific date to reveal this. However, she decided to break the news two days earlier, catching everyone off guard, especially creator and co-host Barbara Walters. By the next episode, Jones, who was originally slated to stay another month, was absent from the panel. Walters then informed the audience that Jones wouldn’t be returning, expressing that she felt “betrayed” by her premature announcement.

During the 2008 presidential campaigns, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the show’s sole conservative voice, expressed her political stance by wearing a T-shirt supporting John McCain on air. The shirt, which was designed by Hasselbeck herself, was later listed on the official McCain campaign website. According to a supposed insider, Hasselbeck’s choice of attire allegedly sparked numerous complaints from viewers at home as well as the studio audience. This reportedly led to Hasselbeck being warned by the network and the show’s producers to refrain from wearing the shirt again. However, a representative for “The View” denied these claims, stating that while the attire may not have been appropriate, Hasselbeck had the right to express herself freely.

Meghan McCain has been pretty open about feeling unwelcome during her four-year tenure on the panel of “The View.” One particular co-host she has referenced is Whoopi Goldberg, accusing her of displaying “open disdain” towards her. If true, then this would be a glaring manifestation of that hostility. In 2019, during a heated discussion about the looming impeachment of Donald Trump, tensions arose as McCain appeared to talk over her co-hosts. This led Goldberg, who was trying to cut to a commercial break, to snap at McCain. The awkward exchange between the two polarized viewers, with some saying Goldberg was out of line and others insisting that it was a much needed rebuff.

Donald Trump’s stance on immigrants, particularly Latinos, has long been made clear. During his presidential campaign, he centered his platform on the promise to remove them from the country. While discussing this policy on “The View” in 2015, Kelly Osbourne attempted to make a point defending Latinos, but inadvertently made an offensive statement instead. The remark about Latinos cleaning toilets was met with pin drop silence from the audience and gasps from her co-panelists. After receiving a huge backlash on social media, Osbourne took to Facebook to apologize for her “poor choice of words.” Nearly a decade later, the clip was transformed into a viral meme on TikTok with users sharing different takes based on problematic stereotypes.

In 2009, a video surfaced online showing sportscaster Erin Andrews completely nude. It was later revealed that a man named Michael David Barrett had stalked Andrews and secretly filmed her in her hotel room. For this crime, Barrett was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. Fast forward to 2010, while Andrews was competing on “Dancing with the Stars,” Elisabeth Hasselbeck brought up this incident, criticizing Andrews for her revealing costumes on the show. Hasselbeck’s comments were widely condemned as insensitive, not only to Andrews, but also to others who had suffered similar experiences. In the following episode, Hasselbeck delivered a tearful apology, after reportedly reaching out to Andrews directly to seek forgiveness.

At the 2016 Miss America pageant, Kelley Johnson, a contestant and registered nurse, delivered a monologue about one of her patients while wearing a nurse’s uniform. Although the rest of America saw a dedicated healthcare professional, “The View” co-hosts Joy Behar and Michelle Collins saw a performer in a costume. Collins mocked Johnson’s monologue, while Behar criticized her for wearing “a doctor's stethoscope.” The outrage was swift and severe. Nurses across the nation condemned the ladies’ statements and rallied behind the hashtag

Raven-Symoné served as a permanent co-host on “The View” for only one year, but her short tenure was marked by multiple controversies. She first faced criticism after defending a Latin TV host who was fired for likening Michelle Obama to a character from “Planet of the Apes”. Months later, she stirred more controversy for excusing the actions of South Carolina police officer Ben Fields. Fields had been filmed using excessive force on a high school student for not putting her phone away during class. This time, viewers decided they’d had enough. They launched a Change.org petition demanding her dismissal from the show. Although the petition garnered over 120,000 signatures, the network chose to keep her.

Many celebrities have faced backlash after old photographs of them in blackface came to light, and Joy Behar was no exception. Back in 2016, during a discussion about the resurgence of curly hair, Behar displayed a 1970s picture of herself at a Halloween party wearing makeup that was noticeably darker than her skin. The picture stunned co-host Raven-Symoné who jokingly suggested she could get in trouble for it. That trouble eventually came in 2019 when entertainment website The Wrap dug up the old segment and shared it on social media. Despite immediate public outrage, neither Behar nor the show seemed to address the controversy. Unlike many others, Behar was spared any consequences for the offensive costume.

Whoopi Goldberg has a strange habit of stepping up to defend controversial celebrities. First, it was Mel Gibson, who Goldberg insisted was not racist after a clip surfaced of him yelling a racial slur. Even more egregious, she staunchly defended Bill Cosby on multiple occasions, in light of the numerous sexual assault allegations against him. Goldberg initially maintained that Cosby was innocent until proven guilty. However, she later changed her stance once the evidence against him began to suggest otherwise. Remarkably, Goldberg wasn’t the only co-host on “The View” to support a celebrity accused of sexual assault. In 2014, Barbara Walters also vehemently defended Woody Allen against the allegations made by his adopted daughter.

The on-screen drama on “The View” may be captivating, but it appears what happens behind-the-scenes is even more scandalous. In 2019, journalist Ramin Setoodeh offered a glimpse with his book, “Ladies Who Punch,” which uncovered shocking revelations about the show and its hosts. Barbara Walters was depicted as having an explosive temper, often shouting at co-host Jenny McCarthy and criticizing her wardrobe. Also, despite their infamous fight, Rosie O’Donnell admitted to having “a little bit of a crush” on Elisabeth Hasselbeck. The book also revealed that Gayle King was considered for the panel, but was rejected due to her close ties to Oprah Winfrey. “Ladies Who Punch” portrayed many hosts unfavorably, leading O’Donnell to later express regret about granting Setoodeh an interview.

Did we miss any other scandalous “The View” moments? Share them with us in the comments below.