Whoopi, Nicolle Wallace, Michelle Collins, Rosie Perez & Raven-Symone are the current panel of “The View.” But, by August…two co-hosts will leave the show! (Photo property of ABC News)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
Is it just me or are View fans exhausted of seeing the live action version of Aretha Franklin and Michael McDonald’s “Ever Changing Times” being played out on The View?
The foundation of the ABC daytime talk show started breaking back in 2013, when both Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck announced that they were from the show for new greener pastures.
But before fan-favorites Behar and Hasselbeck each had one foot out of the door, show creator and media pioneer Barbara Walters announced her retirement on May 13, 2013.
Past and present “The View” co-hosts posed together on Barbara Walters’ second-to-last episode as a panelist of the ABC talk show in May 2014. (Photo property of ABC’s Lou Rocco)
As Behar and Hasselbeck bowed out at the end of the summer 2013, The View brought on Jenny McCartney to help Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepherd celebrate Barbara’s final season, which included a co-host reunion that featured Behar, Hasselbeck, Meredith Vieira, Rosie O’Donnell, Star Jones, Lisa Ling and Debbie Matenopoulous.
While Ms. Walters remained behind the scenes as Executive Producer, Shepherd, McCartney and Ms. Walters’ longtime collaborator Bill Geddie exited the program…. which left Whoopi as the only remaining co-host from the Walters era of The View to usher in a new chapter of the ABC talk show.
Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie Perez, Rosie O’Donnell and Nicolle Wallace posed together while promoting “The View” in happier times. (Photo property of ABC’s Yolanda Perez)
Joining Whoopi in this new era was returning co-host Rosie O’Donnell and new panelists Nicole Wallace and Oscar-and Emmy-nominated actress-dancer Rosie Perez. When I visited the show back in October, I loved watching this panel in action and the Rosies’ interaction with the audience.
Unfortunately, this peace between this line-up did not last as reports surfaced that Goldberg and O’Donnell dueled behind the scenes, which cumulated into a toe-to-toe verbal fight on racism in America. Two months after the duel, Ms. O’Donnell left the show to deal with her divorce with her ex, Michelle Rounds, and to take care of her family.
After Rosie’s departure, the show used multiple guest hosts such as Raven-Symone, Michelle Collins, Candice Cameron-Brue, Stacy London, Mario Cantone and past panelists Behar, Shepherd and even Walters herself to find the Queen of Nice’s replacement on the panel. Last month, the audience learned that Ms. Symone would be the show’s fourth permanent host.
Just as Raven was getting comfortable in her seat, reports circulated that Rosie Perez would be leaving the show at the end of the season. Rosie tearfully confirmed the news to the audience that she would move on to new projects at the end of the season and that Michelle Collins will join the panel permanently in the fall.
It is a shame that ABC News does not want Nicolle Wallace to return for a second season of “The View.” Not only has she evolved the most out of the co-hosts, but her political insight would be missed as Election 2016 continues to unfold. (Photo property of ABC)
Over the past 24 hours, multiples sources including EW, TV Line and Variety confirmed that Nicolle Wallace, who has grown leaps and bounds since the Season 18 premiere started, will not be a permanent co-host when The View returns to Season 19 this fall.
In all honesty, this is a STUPID move by ABC! With the 2016 election in full-swing, Ms. Wallace would have provided valuable insight into the primaries, debates and political party conventions that made The View a must watch and go-to-show for presidential nominees.
The Internet also has been blazing with reports that a group of women would join Whoopi, Raven and Michelle this fall as contributors. London, Cameron-Brue, Molly Sims, GMA Weekend anchor Paula Ferris and former co-hosts Shepherd and Wallace are the names that ABC News wants to hire as contributors.
Final thoughts: While ABC News has not announced their plans for The View’s 19th season, if the show continues to deteriorate like this…. it will find itself cancelled by May 2016. As a longtime fan, The View is one show that I turn to for Hot Topics on current events and by not having anyone on the panel full-time that knows the political world forwards and backwards will make the show more irrelevant. The Powers That Be at ABC need to make the right decisions, because they are one or two steps away from a massive fan exodus.
I do not own any clips that are featured in this article. They belong to ABC News.
