Meghan McCain slams ‘The View’, recalls ‘hostility’ from Whoopi and Joy in new book
McCain's new memoir, 'Bad Republican', will be released on audible this week
It’s been months since Meghan McCain‘s much talked about exit from The View, and she already has plenty to say about her tenure on the talk show.
In an excerpt from her new memoir, the conservative host opens up about her reasons for leaving the series, citing a “hostile work environment,” and even writes about her relationships with Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar. In Bad Republican, McCain’s new memoir, the TV personality details the past four years of her life as the conservative host on The View.
Variety has obtained an excerpt from the book in which she details a “turning point” in her journey on the show, and what ultimately led to her swift exit from the series.
McCain begins the excerpt by insisting she had “good memories” of her time on the talk show, writing, “I’m not going to dish on every piece of drama that I witnessed. I had a lot of good memories on the show, and it was a privilege to be part of such an iconic piece of TV history. And yes, I know that most jobs in TV are stressful, being in a pressure-cooker environment, and that’s to be expected.”
She then proceeds to write that the show “breeds drama” and simply “brings out the worst in people.” As she writes in the excerpt, Goldberg and McCain maintained a close bond when she joined the series four years ago, born from a promise Goldberg made to John McCain promising to “take care of her” on the show. Well, McCain writes Goldberg only “kept her word” for two years of her four-year run.
“The thing about Whoopi, though, is that she yields so much power in culture and television, and once she turns on you, it can create unfathomable tension at the table,” she writes. “I found her open disdain for me more and more difficult to manage as the years went on and it became more frequent. Occasionally, if the show’s political discourse veered into territory that she found disagreeable, Whoopi would cut me off, sometimes harshly.”
McCain specifically mentions two viral moments between her and Goldberg. The first, when Goldberg on-air told McCain, “Girl, please stop talking right now,” and the second, when she answered McCain by simply saying, “O.K.” While not mentioned in the excerpt, McCain herself was cutting off co-host Sunny Hostin in the first instance, when Goldberg, as moderator, chimed in with her comment.
McCain also dived into her often explosive on-air relationship with Behar, citing one moment in particular as a “turning point” for her. Detailing her second day after returning from maternity leave, McCain recalls the moment when after debating with Behar, McCain said on air, “Joy, you missed me so much when I was on maternity leave! You missed fighting with me!”
In the viral moment, Behar responded saying, “I did not. I did not miss you. Zero.”
She writes, “Nothing anyone has ever said to me on camera since I have been giving interviews since I was 22 years old ever hit this hard. I felt like I’d been slapped. She yelled out at me sharp and intensely and I believed her.”
Goldberg, Behar, and the rest of the current co-hosts have yet to make public statements regarding McCain’s excerpt. The View is currently in its 25th season and has a rotating seat as they wait to officially replace McCain.
Read the full excerpt from the memoir on Variety, here.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Acting Up”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!
More About:Television Entertainment
You Might Like
