Top 10 Juiciest Secrets About The View
#10: Jenny McCarthy & 'Tampongate'
When you’re working with a media legend like Barbara Walters, it means taking one for the team from time to time. That was a lesson former MTV host, Jenny McCarthy, had to learn during her tenure on the talk show. After being told she could no longer talk about pop culture because Barbara either forgot or didn’t know who the celebrities were, Jenny became miserable on the show. Things really took a turn between the women when Barbara called out Jenny in front of everyone, including the show’s guests, and claimed that Jenny left a tampon floating in the toilet. Embarrassed, Jenny flushed it instead of arguing. Sometimes it’s best to take the “L” and move on.
#9: Rosie O’Donnell & the Infamous Split Screen
In the show’s most infamous moment, liberal Rosie O'Donnell and conservative Elisabeth Hasselbeck came to blows over a prior comment Rosie made about the US troops’ involvement in the Iraq War. The press equated her comment to calling the troops terrorists, and Rosie expected Elisabeth to defend her. Instead the two got into an approximately 10-minute-long argument, during which the producers cut the segment into a split screen, which was a technique the show never used. Rosie was so upset by the exchange that she asked to be released from her contract three weeks early. Rosie later said the split screen was the final straw because it felt like a pre-calculated move by producers to back her into a corner.
#8: Star Jones & the Scandalous Exit
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As one of the original four panelists of the show, it came as a shock when Star announced on the June 27th, 2006 episode that she was leaving after almost ten years. According to Ramin Setoodeh, the author of the tell-all, Star was upset because Joy and Barbara were allegedly leaking stories to the press about her. Getting ahead of the bad press, she employed Judy Smith, the famed fixer who inspired the Olivia Pope character on “Scandal.” Judy orchestrated Jones’ entire exit from “The View,” which led to her quitting on air unbeknownst to everyone. During her announcement, she conveniently left out the part about her contract not being renewed. Star, we see what you did there.
#7: Whoopi Goldberg, the Mean Girl
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It’s no secret that not everyone will get along on a show where hosts are literally hired to spar with each other. But Whoopi Goldberg’s laidback demeanor made it seem like she’d be the nicest of the bunch. But according to Setoodeh’s book, Rosie basically said that that couldn’t be further from the truth. Of all the women, Rosie claimed that Whoopi was not only the meanest on the show but also the meanest person she’s worked with on television. That statement says a lot, considering that Rosie has been a guest on the conservative network Fox News. But Rosie doesn’t seem to hold any hard feelings as she went on to say she’ll always have respect for the comedy icon Whoopi is.
#6: Star Jones & the Leaked Surgery
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As previously stated, part of the reason Star Jones reportedly quit “The View” so abruptly was due in part to her belief that Barbara and Joy were leaking stories to the New York press about her sudden weight loss. On the show, Star claimed that she was dieting and exercising to lose weight. But in reality, the host underwent a gastric bypass surgery and asked her co-hosts to stay quiet about it. When damning stories came out in the press, Star believed Joy and Barbara were behind the leaks because they wanted to make her look bad. While it’s never been confirmed, Barbara later told Oprah she kept Star’s secret, but that the audience could tell they weren’t being honest.
#5: Joy Behar, Meghan McCain & the Backstage Blowups
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While we’d all like to think the hosts don’t fight behind the scenes, it’s hard to believe some of their brutal fights don’t bleed into real life. On the mid-2010s iteration, Joy and Meghan debate so passionately that there’s no way it can’t be personal. When Elisabeth Hasselbeck appeared as a guest in 2019, she joked about how she still got under Joy’s skin. Meghan quipped back, “What’s that like? I don’t know” in reference to her own arguments with Joy. Instead of joking back, Joy made a pointed jab stating that at least she never fought backstage with Elisabeth, implying that her and Meghan do. She confirmed what we all expected, but her honesty was a surprise.
#4: The Clash of Barbara Walters & Whoopi Goldberg
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Over the years, “The View” has gone through a lot of co-hosts, but the show’s obvious titans are Barbara and Whoopi. Unlike some of the show’s other infamous feuds, these two were at least able to appear civil on-air when they did things like take down Glenn Beck for lying about them. But according to Jenny in “Ladies Who Punch,” both Whoopi and Barbara wanted to be moderator. Whoopi was hired to moderate and wouldn’t relinquish control to Barbara even when she asked nicely. Jenny further compared the show’s dynamics to “Survivor” with the other co-hosts in allegiance to the two camps and claimed Whoopi had an addiction to power.
#3: Elisabeth Hasselbeck Was Canned
For a long time, Elisabeth was the sole Republican on the show and because of that she often fought with her more liberal colleagues. A recording was recently leaked of Elisabeth threatening to quit The View during a commercial break in 2006 after feeling mistreated by Barbara Walters on air. In her 2019 book, “Point of View” she wrote about her stint and revealed that she was actually fired in 2013. Previously, it had seemed like it was her choice to leave, but Elisabeth admitted that the producers didn’t renew her contract and told her they were taking the show in a less political direction. However, on a 2019 promotional appearance on the show, she ultimately came to terms with it after realizing it was a part of God’s plan for her.
#2: Rosie O’Donnell vs. Donald Trump
One of the earliest critics of Donald Trump, Rosie O’Donnell made an enemy for life after she made fun on his hair, reported adultery, and alleged multiple bankruptcies during a 2006 episode of the show. We all witnessed the war he waged against her in the press, but behind the scenes, his actions wrecked the personal and professional relationship between Rosie and Barbara. Barbara was a friend of Donald’s and instead of defending Rosie, she tried to stay neutral, for fear of being sued by him. But after a few weeks of his attacks, Rosie confronted Barbara about her inaction and yelled at her for almost a minute in the dressing room before producer Bill Geddie stepped in. According to an excerpt from the tell-all, their relationship rapidly deteriorated and never recovered. Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions: Rosie Admits She Had ‘A Little Bit of a Crush’ on Elisabeth Hasselbeck Jenny Claims Barbara Made Her Change Outfits Jenny Was Supposed to Be the ‘New’ Elisabeth Hasselbeck Rosie Helped Sherri Shepherd Negotiate Her Salary
#1: Barbara Walters, the Tyrant
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In order to become a media titan like Barbara Walters, it’s not surprising that reports state that co-hosts viewed her as an intimidating person to work with. According to the tell-all, instead of mentoring the women on her show, Barbara perceived anyone more popular than her as a threat and tried to take them down - including Whoopi, one of the show’s most beloved hosts. As the show’s executive producer, she had more authority than anyone else and allegedly created a hostile work environment. With Star believing Barbara planted stories about her in the press, as well as Jenny claiming Barbara went nuclear on her over her anti-vax beliefs, it seems that many breathed a sigh of relief when she finally retired in 2014.
