What Abby Huntsman Just Revealed About Her Time On The View Is Turning Heads
It's been some time since Abby Huntsman left "The View" in January 2020, so perhaps she now feels she can be more honest. The talk show host and political pundit Huntsman is finally speaking out, honestly, about the real reason she left ABC's "The View."
The Utah native always had a political upbringing, particularly from her father, former Utah governor and Russian Ambassador Jon Huntsman, per DeseretNews. So Abby's decision to leave "The View" and serve as senior adviser to his 2020 gubernatorial re-election campaign made sense. But while that was the official reason, lots of other causes circulated for Huntsman's departure, including a harmful work environment and tensions between her and the other right-wing co-host, the always controversial Meghan McCain. While Huntsman and McCain are reportedly still friends — "Abby has been my friend for years and will always be my friend," McCain told Insider — CNN reported that McCain confronted Huntsman about too frequently talking about her children on air while knowing that McCain had struggled with fertility challenges. "Abby was sick of being berated by Meghan for perceived slights," a source told CNN.
Now, Huntsman has a new podcast called "I Wish Somebody Told Me..." where she and co-host Lauren Leeds take deep dives into guests' lives. To start, they're turning the lens on Huntsman herself and her time with "The View" — and she's being much more straightforward about it.
Abby Huntsman describes the toxic atmosphere at The View
Now that Abby Huntsman is working for herself, she feels emboldened to speak freely. That includes honesty about what Lauren Leeds called on their podcast (via People), the "kind of stressful" environment at "The View," which Huntsman says was "a politically correct way of putting it." Huntsman discussed pressure from executives to be "players in their game," explaining "it was about money and ... ratings and the tabloids." Huntsman, however, preferred to be "more commonsensical about things," and felt that "because I tried to be gracious, I tried to just hold back, that you're not rewarded for it. You don't trend on Twitter."
She said (via Deadline) that execs were "rewarding people for bad behavior. ... You would see people act in ways that were not okay, that was very much part of the toxic environment of 'The View,' and here we were going on the air criticizing others for toxic culture."
Add to that a sense that producers leaked information to the tabloids. Before her final episode, producers told Huntsman to tell viewers that reports of a toxic workplace were false. She refused, and within the hour, a tabloid article ran saying the show had planned to fire her before she resigned. "I knew right in that moment when I saw that article: It came from within," she said (via People). "You stop trusting people around you..." But the behavior only convinced Huntsman that she made the right decision. "I knew the show did not reflect my values."
Naturally, reactions to Abby Huntsman's comments are split
Perhaps unsurprising to fans of "The View," the reactions to Abby Huntsman's new podcast — particularly as she talks about her time on the show — are mixed. At least she got support from her friend Meghan McCain, who said, "Congratulations on your new podcast launch @HuntsmanAbby – I can't wait to listen!" Another fan was grateful for the new platform, saying "Excellent podcast @HuntsmanAbby. I have been waiting to hear your story." More sent kind words, as one said "I wish you all the best Abby. I loved you on the View and was disappointed how Meghan treated you there," while another wrote "I hope this turns out well for Abby. She's obviously a very good and decent person who went through a tough couple of years with The View debacle, her father losing the primary (a travesty!), and her family's COVID battles. She deserves a great comeback."
But of course, as "The View" seems to want, there's always gotta be haters. "Had to get in on the 'victim' card with @MeghanMcCain," one tweeted, while another wrote: "Eye roll. She wasn't a good fit. The show is better without her." Another felt it wasn't interesting enough: "My goodness, Abby Huntsman is boring even when she spills tea." One person even called it a publicity stunt: "Anything to sell copies of her book." Never mind that said book is a children's picture book that has nothing to do with "The View," or even television. Perhaps they were confusing Huntsman with McCain.