‘The View’ Alum Meghan McCain Says She ‘Got Really Worn Out From Being a Villain’ on the Panel
Meghan McCain made headlines when she announced her departure from The View in July 2021. Later reflecting on her time on the daytime talk show in her book “Bad Republican”, McCain recently shared some further insight on why she decided to vacate her seat.
Meghan McCain was the ‘only conservative’ on ‘The View’
McCain was named as a permanent co-host on The View in 2017. The daughter of Republican Senator John McCain, the former Fox News contributor was known for her conservative stance and was often outnumbered by The View’s mostly liberal panel. McCain pointed out how the environment made for on-air friction during the Trump administration.
“I need to put the context in – I was working on the show as the only conservative during the Trump years,” she told Variety in 2021. “I felt like a lot of people took out their anger on the administration on me because I was the only person in the building who was a Republican.”
The former ABC co-host noted that The View was not authentic in how the show was represented and she often felt on the outside due to her political leanings.
“You can watch the show and see that it’s unhinged and disorganized and rowdy – For me personally, it felt extremely isolating because of my political ideology,” McCain remarked. “The View is billed as being honest and open. It’s billed as an arena for women to share and discuss their views on politics and the most important topics of the day… A space where women support – and respectfully challenge – each other. But the truth is that the environment of the show is toxic.”
‘The View’ alum didn’t want the on-air theatrics
As the political landscape in the country grew more divisive, McCain became more conspicuous as the conservative co-host on The View and felt she was often blamed for what people considered as the Republican Party’s mistakes.
“I don’t want to have to defend things that are indefensible,” McCain told Newsweek. “The sins of the Republican Party and the sins of President Trump are not the sins of Meghan. I’m still conservative. You know, obviously, that’s never going to change. What happens in the future going forward is anyone’s guess. … I think that to go on TV, people want me to defend everything GOP… I just got really worn out about it.”
McCain grew weary of the on-air conflict with her fellow panelists and alluded to arguments being encouraged for ratings purposes.
“I got really worn out from being a villain,” McCain said. “I don’t want to do that anymore. I know who I am. I know what I believe. And I stand by everything that I believe. It’s more the screaming at each other, crossfire, we hate each other, we have to yell. It’s great for TV. And it’s great for ratings. It’s not great for me as a person.”
Meghan McCain will ‘never’ return to ‘The View’
McCain shared her journey on The View in her 2021 Audible book, “Bad Republican”. She explained why she decided to make some behind-the-scenes details open to the public.
“I think there’s this feeling about The View that it’s like the Mafia, that when you leave, you need to do it quietly, and you need to do it on their terms,” she commented to Newsweek. “And I left on my own. I had two years left on my contract. And I obviously wasn’t quiet, because I ended up adding a chapter explaining why I left The View because everyone was so curious.”
Since The View was often in the headlines with stories that involved McCain, she felt compelled to explain her side of the story regarding her exit and noted that she won’t be returning to the show.
“I know as a consumer, when I read other books by people who I’ve watched on television, I always want to know a little bit about the context of their decision,” McCain said. “I have been in this industry a really long time and I knew I’m never going to appear on The View again. I’m completely, 100 percent comfortable with that.”
