Sara Haines became emotional as she revealed that her father-in-law died, prompting her absence from “The View” this week.
The former “Good Morning America” host returned to the show Thursday and explained the “brutal” reason she missed the episode one day prior.
“I wanted to share why I was missing yesterday,” Haines, 48, said, per Entertainment Weekly. “My father-in-law passed away. He [had] been in hospice for a week, so we knew it was coming.”
“I think the second that landed, it kind of allowed a load [we were] carrying [to] gush out,” she added.
Haines — who has been married to her husband, Max Shifrin, since 2014 — said she “found out right before the show [Wednesday]” and ultimately chose to sit out the live broadcast.
“Max has been gone. He hasn’t seen the kids, and now he’s finally back and we’re pouring love into him,” Haines continued.
Haines shares son Alec, 10, daughter Sandra, 8, and son Caleb, 7, with Shifrin.
“[He] was the most important person in Max’s life,” she said of her father-in-law. “I think I learned about this man on my first date because [he] was Max’s North Star, so it’s the chapter we’re in, and we’ll all be part of this club eventually. But wow, it’s brutal.”
Haines, who left “The View” in 2018 before returning to her seat at the “Hot Topics” table two years later, said she wanted to “quell any rumors going around” about her sudden absence.
The “Today” show alum was likely referring to the speculation that began following an awkward exchange between her co-hosts Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg about her absence Wednesday.
Behar, at the time, clarified that Haines was not sick, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Haines’ other co-host Alyssa Farrah Griffin joked Thursday that Behar had “made it sound scandalous.”
“You made it sound so interesting. I almost didn’t want to ruin it with the truth,” Haines added.
Goldberg, for her part, confirmed Wednesday that she will be absent from the ABC daytime talk show for two weeks while filming “Women Like Us,” a movie produced by Barack Obama and Michelle Obama.
The film also stars Vivica A. Fox, Vanessa Williams and Jennifer Lewis.
“It’s about change and getting older and having fun with your friends and people who get you. It’s about finding your people,” Goldberg, 70, said of the project. “I’m excited to do it. It’ll be fun.”
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