The View Is Set To Welcome Back Three Iconic Co-Hosts For Its Milestone Celebration
"The View" is a talk show created by Barbara Walters that features a panel of women who discuss current events and interview celebrities and other important figures. It has aired on ABC since 1997 and is still going strong today. Over the years, many co-hosts have come and gone. The original hosts were Star Jones, Joy Behar, Debbie Matenopoulos, and Meredith Vieira, while subsequent co-hosts have included Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie O'Donnell, Meghan McCain, Elisabeth Hasselback, Lisa Ling, Sherri Shepherd, Jenny McCarthy, and Rosie Perez.
When "The View" first premiered, Walters explained her motivations for creating the show. "I've always wanted to do a show with women of different generations, backgrounds and views," she said, according to The New York Times, adding that her inspiration came from a conversation with her daughter, Jackie. She noticed that there were many differences in her worldviews versus those of her daughter and thought it would be beneficial for the public to hear these conversations play out in a talk show. When ABC's programming heads asked Walters to come up with a program to fill their 11:00 am slot, the show was officially born.
"The View" is now coming up on its 25th season, which makes it one of the longest-running talk shows of all time, alongside "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "The Late Show." To mark such an important milestone, three former co-hosts will be making guest appearances throughout the season.
The View celebrates 25 years on air
"The View" is officially marking its 25th season on air, which calls for a return of some of the talk show's most iconic hosts, including Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, and Elisabeth Hasselback, as per People. Both Vieira and Jones were original co-hosts on the show, starting with its premiere in 1997. Coincidentally, they also both left after the ninth season. Hasselback didn't join the cast until 2003, but was one of the longest-running co-hosts, spending 10 seasons on the show. In honor of the show's quarter-century celebration, these three women will be making guest appearances throughout the season, alongside current co-hosts Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, and Ana Navarro. Jones will be the first to make her appearance on February 4.
Behar is the only original co-host still on the show today. In September 2021, she was joined by Vieira during an episode of the podcast, "Behind the Table," to reminisce about their time together on "The View," per ABC News. Behar referred to the beginning of the show as the "good old days" while Vieira stated that the only reason she was hired was because she had a sense of humor. Apparently, this was important to the show's creator, Barbara Walters. The two women also discussed the reason why Vieira left, which was to seize an opportunity to co-host the "Today" show. "It was a great moment for me," she said, "but it was really hard for me to leave ['The View']."