If the White House has anything to say about it, “The View” would be the next show pulled off the air.
During the Wednesday, July 23 broadcast of the talk show, co-host Joy Behar ripped into President Donald Trump for attempting to claim that Barack Obama tried to undermine both the 2016 and 2020 elections in a “treasonous” way, which prompted a rare response from the former president.
“First of all, who tried to overthrow the government on January 6? Who was that again? That was not Obama,” she said, after co-host Whoopi Goldberg had introduced the Hot Topics segment of their program.
She added, “The thing about him is he’s so jealous of Obama, because Obama is everything that he is not—trim, smart, handsome, happily married, and can sing Al Green’s ‘Let’s Stay Together’ better than Al Green. And Trump cannot stand it. It’s driving him crazy.”
Not even a full 24 hours later, the White House responded. Spokesperson Taylor Rogers told Entertainment Weekly, “Joy Behar is an irrelevant loser suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome,” and then erroneously claimed the show has low ratings.
The statement further suggested that Behar “should self-reflect on her own jealousy of President Trump’s historic popularity before her show is the next to be pulled off air.”
ABC quickly countered, confirming that “The View,” in its 28th season and hosted by Goldberg, Behar, Sonny Hostin, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Ana Navarro, is currently the top-rated network daytime talk show for the fifth consecutive season, per Variety. The show is also growing in its viewership among key demographics, including women aged between 18 and 49.
While Trump doesn’t have the authority to cancel programming on a privately owned network like ABC, the threat arrives at a time when the current adminstration continues to challenge pop culture. In recent weeks, Trump and his allies celebrated the cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” He also reportedly has expressed he’s not pleased with a recent “South Park” episode that depicted him in bed with Satan.
On Thursday, July 24, FCC Chair Brendan Carr noted during a press conference that shows like “The View” may start facing “consequences,” Deadline reported.
Goldberg, a longtime co-host, has also consistently criticized Trump, calling him “dangerous,” “a liar,” and “a grifter.” Her outspoken political commentary and Behar’s signature style of comedic barbs have made the show a frequent source of Trump’s ire.
ABC has not issued any further public statements beyond correcting the ratings claims. In the meantime, “The View” began a brief summer hiatus this week and is slated to return in early September.
