McCarthy would give the show some much-needed charm.
PublishedJanuary 8, 2026 9:10 PM EST•UpdatedJanuary 8, 2026 7:44 PM EST
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Actress Jenny McCarthy says she will never step foot on the set of The View again, despite invitations to return.
“They’ve asked me to come back for, like, reunion shows,” McCarthy said during an appearance on The Katie Miller Podcast. “I was like, over my dead body would I ever step foot in that place.”
McCarthy co-hosted the show in 2013 in an effort, she says, to make it less polarizing.
“The reason why they wanted to bring me on is that they, quote, said it was too polarizing,” she explained. “They thought it was too polarizing back then, you guys.”
McCarthy claims she expected to discuss “light, fluffy, and fun” topics like The Bachelor or Dancing with the Stars. Instead, she found herself thrown into heated political debates.
“They’re like, ‘Today we’re going to be discussing the hostage situation and whether the United States government should pay the ransom or not.’ And I was like, ‘What?'” she recalled. “I’m like, ‘I just know who won Dancing with the Stars.’ So getting through that year was really difficult.”
THE VIEW — Ginger Zee (Walt Disney Television’s “Good Morning America”) and Suzy Welch are the guest co-hosts today, Thursday, August 7, 2014. Guests include Patrick Duffy (“Dallas”); international singing/songwriting duo Nico & Vinz; and a look back at Jenny McCarthy’s best moments from her season on “The View.” “The View” airs Monday-Friday (11:00 am-12:00 pm, ET) on the Walt Disney Television Network. (Photo by Lou Rocco/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Years later, The View has shifted to an even more polarizing tone.
McCarthy’s tenure ended before Sunny Hostin joined the panel in 2016, and Hostin has since cemented her place as the show’s resident Regina George. With Joy Reid relegated to the fringes of the internet, Hostin has arguably become the nastiest, most racially charged, and least accurate voice on television.
It’s her or Jimmy Kimmel.
Despite reports that ABC wants to cool tensions on the program, The View remains as one-sided and toxic as ever. Put simply, Alyssa Farah Griffin isn’t up for the task.
While the cast’s invitations for McCarthy to return might seem gracious, the actress hadn’t expressed many conservative views until recently, crediting the current administration.
“I’m much more political now in terms of having opinions because of — thank God — our latest administration has helped so much,” she said. “But back then? Ooh, I would not, I would never even.”
For what it’s worth, McCarthy would give the show some much-needed charm.