'The View' fans brace themselves for return of guest conservative host Elisabeth Hasselbeck
"The View" co-host Joy Behar and show producer Brian Teta addressed the fan backlash and reaction on Tuesday to former host Elisabeth Hasselbeck's return to the show with Alyssa Farah Griffin on maternity leave.
"We announced all these people coming on, and our fans have always had strong reactions to it, but there was a lot of reaction to Elisabeth Hasselbeck, which surprised me a little bit because she's — don't get me wrong, Elisabeth has controversial takes occasionally and passionate takes — but you two worked together for 10 years and overall got along," Teta said during the show's "Behind the Table" podcast.
The line-up of guest hosts includes Hasselbeck, Savannah Chrisley, Abby Huntsman, Amanda Carpenter, Sheryl Underwood and Whitney Cummings, according to Deadline. Hasselbeck and Huntsman are former co-hosts — Hasselbeck was on the show from 2003-2013 and Huntsman from 2018-2020.
Behar responded, "It's fine, she's a good kid."
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Behar said Hasselbeck got a lot of negative reaction, but wondered if "The View" fans would feel the same way about other former hosts, including Rosie O'Donnell, Rosie Perez and Michelle Collins.
"I don't know, I think it's Rosie and Elisabeth probably are the ones that get that kind of reaction," Teta responded.
He noted that Hasselbeck and Behar worked together for 10 years and always got along.
"She's a nice kid. She comes from a very nice family. Actually, her parents are Democrats," Behar said. "So I don't know where she comes up with this Republican position, but she — I think maybe her husband, when she got married — she became more conservative."
Behar also offered some advice for the conservative guest co-hosts that were set to appear on the show in Griffin's absence.
Teta told Behar the guest hosts weren't going to agree with the co-hosts on a lot of things, which the longtime liberal co-host said was "fine."
"Don't take it too much to heart if everybody else disagrees with you," Behar said.
She added, "Hold your own and don't get mad."
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Chrisley is the first guest host to appear next week. However, she wrote on X last week that she hasn't "forgotten the public bashing" of her family by co-hosts.
"I’ll be co-hosting @TheView the week of Feb 16th!" she wrote on X Thursday. "I believe in sitting at tables with people who disagree with you and refusing to shrink your values to make others comfortable. I stand on faith, family, and freedom."
"I hope this week opens the door to more unity and less division," the post continued. "But let me be clear: I have not forgotten the public bashing of my family by some of these same voices. Grace does not require amnesia."
Todd and Julie Chrisley, Savannah Chrisley's parents, were both pardoned by President Donald Trump in May 2025 after being convicted on federal charges of bank fraud and tax evasion — a move that drew sharp criticism from "The View" hosts.
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Since Griffin joined the show in 2022, the show has had far fewer on-air clashes than it did under previous conservative hosts like Hasselbeck and Meghan McCain.
Griffin and Ana Navarro — a left-wing Republican who joined the show in 2022 — are both staunchly anti-Trump, as are the rest of the show's liberal hosts. Navarro even hosted one night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
Between Jan. 6 and July 25, 2025, the show hosted only liberal political guests.
The show brought former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., on twice after the former Trump ally began to break with the president on issues like the Epstein files. Cheryl Hines, wife of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., appeared on the show in October.