Disney and ABC News are attempting to broaden the scope of The View to decenter politics, following increased scrutiny from President Donald Trump.
Multiple sources told The Daily Beast that ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic had met with the executive producer of the daytime talk show, as well as the panel of hosts, to ask them to tone down their discussion of politics.
Hosts Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, and Ana Navarro have been steadfast critics of the Trump administration. Karamehmedovic suggested that the hosts focus less on political discussions, emphasizing the well-rated episodes that focused more on celebrity guests. While it wasn’t an order, the message was clear. But the hosts weren’t interested in caving to the pressure.
One source familiar with the meeting told the Beast that the hosts had fought back against Karamehmedovic, saying, “‘This is what our audience wants. Isn’t it gonna look kind of bad if we’re all of a sudden not talking about politics?’”
The hosts noted that some viewers specifically sought them out for their political commentary. Griffin served as a former White House aide during Trump’s first administration and has provided searing rebukes of her former boss’s current antics in the White House.
The women did not bend and decided the request was “silly” and that “they were just going to keep doing their thing,” according to one source.
Multiple sources said that Navarro, a Republican host who spoke in support of Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention, also spoke to Disney’s CEO Bob Iger during the company’s Upfront presentation day last week, and the executive told her once again to tone down the political rhetoric.
Iger has become a regular target for Trump. Earlier this week Trump threatened “Fake ABC News” and called out Iger for the coverage of the Qatari jet scandal. Earlier this month, the president posted on Truth Social criticizing ABC News host Martha Raddatz’s coverage of Pope Leo XIV’s selection, and specifically called out Iger to “do something about the losers and haters he’s got on his low rated shows.”
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