After Meghan McCain leaves in August 2021, “The View” has filled its conservative seat. And a familiar face made the permanent host.
The ABC daytime panel talk show announced Thursday that Alyssa Farah Griffin, former White House director of strategic communications and aide to former President Donald Trump, will be at the table when it returns for its 26th season in September.
And Ana Navarro, a commentator and political strategist who will become another co-host, joked that the show “finally put a ring on it” after serving as guest co-host and contributor.
Farrah Griffin, 33, and Navarro, 50, will join judges Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Sarah Haynes and Sunny Hostin. Friday marks the show’s season finale, followed by a summer break.
Farrah Griffin appeared on Thursday’s show and told her co-hosts, “The last couple of years have been a little tumultuous for me. I’ve worked for an administration that I’ve spoken out against vigorously and continue to speak out on a daily basis. It changes a lot. Your life, I’ve lost a lot of friends, I’ve been separated from family members. , but I have to say this: I’m very proud to have found my voice. I’ve been a presidential spokesman, I’ve been a vice president’s spokesman, I’ve been a congressional spokesman, and there are many Republicans. But now it’s my voice, and I’m here to join the table. I’ve come in (and) bring a different perspective.”
Navarro, who also appeared, said the show is “finally putting a ring on it” after his roles as guest co-host and contributor. The CNN commentator and Republican strategist joined the cast as a guest co-host in Season 22 of Goldberg’s participation on Fridays. He continued to serve as Goldberg’s replacement in 2019 while the longtime moderator recovered from pneumonia and continued to serve as a contributor.
“I thought long and hard about it,” Navarro said of his decision. “And I, and we spent a lot of time at this table talking about representation, like a little Latina immigrant girl born in Chinandega, Nicaragua, who came to this country as a political refugee at the age of 8 and found out. Here in her home, she gets a chance and an opportunity to have a platform, and you grab it with both hands and run.”
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Since “The View” debuted in 1997, the series has had 22 permanent hosts, with turnover accelerating in 2013. With short stints from Nicole Wallace, Candace Cameron Bure, Jedediah Bila and Abby Huntsman, the show has struggled to find a lasting conservative voice.
The show’s casting of Farrah Griffin was not immune to controversy. Earlier reports of herhiring prompted some Twitter users to agree #BoycottTheView Due to his actions as part of the Trump administration, he resigned in December 2020. In a January 2021 interview with Politico, he explained that he decided to leave because he could no longer support Trump’s stolen election manifesto.
“I don’t feel comfortable being a part of sharing this message with the public that the election results could go the other way,” he said. “I don’t see where the facts are.”
Farrah Griffin testified before a congressional hearing on June 6 Former aide Cassidy Hutchinson was contacted by Rep. Liz CheneyAccording to Farrah Griffin.
On January 6, 2021, he encouraged Trump to condemn the insurgency At the Capitol in a tweetTelling the President: “Only you will listen to them. For our country!”
Farrah Griffin, 33, explained her political beliefs to politics. “I identify as a constitutional conservative; someone who believes in limited government, free markets, a robust national defense budget, and ultimately that we should abide by the Constitution,” he said. “But what’s dangerous is that if you increase the rhetoric that’s so divisive, it makes people feel that it’s us against them all the time, rather than us being one America; we’re a united nation.”
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McCain, 37, reflected on the factors behind his decision to leave “The View” after four seasons in an interview with USA TODAY last October.
McCain butted heads with his liberal colleagues, especially Goldberg and Behar. On her second day back from maternity leave (after welcoming daughter Liberty in September 2020), Behr memorably told McCain: “I don’t miss you. Zero.”
“I was so humiliated and heartbroken, I felt really worthless,” McCain said. “I felt like I wasn’t a great mom, and I felt like I wasn’t good at my job. And then I was faced with what I was doing after giving birth, and I had a panic attack in my office, and I threw up. , and I couldn’t stop crying, and that was a catalyst for me. It was, and that’s when I decided to leave the show.
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“Lifelong social media lover. Falls down a lot. Creator. Devoted food aficionado. Explorer. Typical troublemaker.”