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When Barbara Walters first created The View, she intended the show to be a space where women of various backgrounds could speak about issues that were important to them. She felt it would be significant, since such a show didn’t exist at the time. Her idea turned out to be correct, since the show became a huge success.
However, it’s also been a highly controversial part of daytime television.
Important issues have often been a heated topic of discussion on the show. Several political figures have made appearances over the years. Some of these figures align with the hosts’ viewpoints and others don’t.
There have been several moments in the show’s history where audience members have let their view be heard loud and clear. This has been disruptive to the point where the hosts themselves scolded the audience for their behavior. Such was the case when Ted Cruz appeared on the show in October 2022.
‘The View’ Has Head To Deal With Heckling Audience Members Before
Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host, were guests on The View in 2019. The appearance was infamous for its combative tone and the heckling audience members. Shortly after the episode aired, The Hollywood Reporter ran a story detailing what took place on set from the audience’s perspective.
The Hollywood Reporter was in the audience and took notes during the incident. They reported that booing is not allowed from audience members. During the heated interview, the audience was rapidly switching between boos and cheers. Once the show went to a commercial break, Whoopi Goldberg confronted the audience.
“The booing is f****** us up,” she said. “It’s messing with everyone’s mic. You can grimace and all that. All we hear is booing.”
Goldberg’s warning was ignored by the audience, who continued booing. When the audience didn’t lower their volume, a warm-up comedian came on stage to try and calm them down.
“No booing, no yelling out,” she said. “No booing, everybody.”
Goldberg was taken to task by a woman in the audience regarding a comment she made many years ago about Roman Polanski. This was something Trump tried to repurpose as an attack on her. This same woman was also asked to stop using her cell phone, something else audience members aren’t allowed to do.
Meghan McCain was also taken to task by the audience, leading her to say to one person in the crowd, “If you can let me speak, I would appreciate it.” She reportedly didn’t make eye contact with Trump or Guilfoyle when they first took the stage. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she seemed very uncomfortable by their presence. McCain later thanked her co-hosts for how they handled the appearance.
Whoopi Goldberg Scolds Audience Members As They Boo Kellyanne Conway
Kellyanne Conway appeared on The View in May 2022 to promote her memoir “Here’s The Deal.” During the interview, she was asked whether she believed the 2020 election was “stolen” from Trump.
Conway responded by saying it is “pretty obvious that Joe Biden is the president.” She also said that she “wrote extensively in this book” that she was “the closest person” to deliver the news to Trump that he lost the race. She said that it “broke [her] heart” to tell him.
“He should have won huge. He had all these accomplishments, he’s running against a guy that’s stuck in the basement and you’re in the middle of a pandemic,” Conway said.
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That remark drew many loud boos from the audience. This led Goldberg to interject and speak directly to the audience on Conway’s behalf.
“Let me do something before you say anything else,” Goldberg said.
“Listen,” she added, “This is The View and this is her view and she’s talking about how she feels and what she knows. Please don’t boo her.”
“I think they’re booing Biden staying in the basement,” Conway added.
Climate Change Protesters Interrupt Ted Cruz’s Interview On ‘The View’ And The Hosts React
When Cruz appeared on The View to promote his book “Justice Corrupted: How the Left Weaponized Our Legal System,” he was met with protesters in the audience. The audience members couldn’t be heard on the television broadcast.
The broadcast then immediately cut to a commercial break. However, when the show returned, audience members began yelling again.
Audience members were heard shouting “Cover climate now!” during the interview. Cruz was speaking about inflation in the United States when the shouting occurred.
“Let us do our jobs. We hear what you have to say, but you’ve got to go,” Goldberg told the audience members.
After returning from another commercial break, the hosts apologized to Cruz for what transpired.
“I’ve been very vocal and critical of you, but I’m sorry that this has happened in our house,” Ana Navarro said.
Some of the hosts said the audience members were accusing them of not discussing climate change. Conservative co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin told Cruz, “they weren’t even protesting you.”
A spokesperson for The View told The Hollywood Reporter, “Three members of the audience interrupted The View today during Sen. Ted Cruz’s appearance protesting about climate. They were promptly escorted out by security.”
