Whoopi Goldberg looks to be close to extending her contract on “The View” for at least one more year, TheWrap has learned.
There was speculation that the Oscar-winning actress was planning to leave the show at the end of this season, but it seems that she has had a change of heart, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Goldberg first joined the ABC daytime show in 2007, replacing Rose O’Donnell. She engaged in a much-publicized feud with fellow co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck during the Hot Topics segment of the show, over topics such as abortion and the use of racial slurs.
“The View” has been afflicted by nearly non-stop host changes in recent seasons. Last week, co-host Michelle Collins was sent packing after a year on the show. And now published reports point to a new role for Sara Haines, currently an anchor on the weekend edition of “Good Morning America.”
Like Collins, Jenny McCarthy lasted for a single (and in McCarthy’s case, heavily criticized) season. Rosie Perez and Nicole Wallace left last year after briefly joining the panel.
ABC has not yet announced its intentions for two more current panelists, Raven-Symone and Candace Cameron Bure.
Joy Behar – who sat out two seasons earlier this decade – is the sole remaining co-host from “The View’s” original incarnation in 1997.