Disney and ABC News heads reportedly called on the hosts of “The View” to dial down political talk on the program — and the panel wasn’t having it, sources told The Daily Beast.
The hosts — Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, former Trump aide Alyssa Farah Griffin, Ana Navarro and Sara Haines — are known for dishing blunt takes on President Donald Trump’s administration, and the panels’ discussions certainly haven’t stopped since his election.
The political rhetoric seemingly disturbed top executives such as Disney CEO Bob Iger and ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic, the latter of whom met with the hosts and the show’s executive producer Brian Teta to suggest that they cool it, The Daily Beast reported Wednesday.
The women of “The View,” sources explained, weren’t having it with the “silly” requests and look to just “keep doing their thing” on the program.
“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?” one source familiar with the meeting reportedly said of the hosts’ response to their boss.
ABC executives have previously pressured hosts over their Trump talk, with late night host Jimmy Kimmel revealing in 2022 that the network’s top bosses asked him to tone it down when he began to regularly quip about Trump.
Kimmel told the “Naked Lunch” podcast that he informed execs that he wouldn’t let up on the jokes even if they fired him.
They eventually backed away from the ask, he noted.
The Daily Beast report arrives as “60 Minutes” faces increased scrutiny from CBS, with leadership examining what’s included in upcoming episodes (despite the program typically operating independently) as the network hopes to settle a lawsuit with Trump.
Karamehmedovic, in his meeting with “The View” hosts and the show’s producer, suggested the show lean into discussions outside politics, pointing to highly rated episodes with “celebrity guests,” sources told The Daily Beast.
The meeting was reportedly seen less as an “edict” by the network but nonetheless, it disturbed the hosts.
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Navarro went on to talk with Iger last week about the request and, after she expressed her gratitude for Disney continuing to give the hosts a platform “in a politically turbulent environment,” he signaled his support for the show before suggesting they “tone down its political rhetoric,” sources told The Daily Beast.
Representatives for ABC News, Disney and Navarro did not respond to The Daily Beast’s requests for comment.
Check out more of the outlet’s report on “The View” here.
