Meghan McCain says a comment made by Joy Behar was the final straw that prompted her to leave “The View.”
McCain exited her co-hosting duties in July 2021. While there were “a lot of factors” that contributed to her exit, she said on “The Commentary Magazine Podcast” that it was something Behar told her on-air right after she returned from maternity leave in January of that year that made her realize she needed to leave the ABC talk show for good.
“I finally went back to the show, and the day I went back to the show, Joy Behar said on air, ‘Nobody missed you, we didn’t miss you, you shouldn’t have come back,’” McCain said. “I started hysterically crying. Sorry gentlemen, I know, I started lactating on air, and crying, hysterical.”
McCain explained that after the on-air moment, she went back to her dressing room and called her brother, who helped her decide that the show wasn’t right for her anymore.
“I didn’t feel supported when I had my baby, and I didn’t feel supported coming back, and that was ultimately it,” she added. “That was why I left.”
McCain is referring to a moment that did, in fact, occur on-air in January 2021. While she and Behar were sparring about whether there should be more than two political parties, McCain joked: “Joy, you missed me so much when I was on maternity leave. You missed me so much. You missed fighting with me.”
“I did not. I did not miss you. Zero,” replied Behar. The comment didn’t sit well with McCain even at the time, as she threw back: “Oh, my God. You know what? That’s so nasty.”
The “Bad Republican” author has long described “The View” as “a very egregious, toxic work environment,” as she did once again on Thursday’s podcast. “I was the most miserable I’d ever been,” she said.
“The View” recently locked in a new permanent co-host in Alyssa Farah Griffin.
