Without Meghan McCain, ‘The View’ Co-Hosts Can Finally Debate in Peace

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The View

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Today was a big day for The View — and that may be an understatement. The ABC talk show celebrated a few new shake-ups on their first episode following a brief summer hiatus; like, for example, returning to the studio for the first time in over a year. Finally, the ladies were back in action at the panel with each other, discussing hot topics with a live audience. And as Season 25 kicked off, the co-hosts deliberated issues like abortion and the war in Afghanistan in peace. Yes, thanks to the departure of the show’s most controversial co-host, Meghan McCainThe View had a little more normalcy today.

This year’s panel will include Whoopi Goldberg as moderator, along with returning co-hosts Sara Haines, Joy Behar, and Sunny Hostin. Goldberg began today’s discussion with some fun facts about the show, and the panel couldn’t help but burst out laughing when she said that the series has had 22 co-hosts in total over the years.

“Three hosts left, and then came back. Two of them are sitting here,” Goldberg said, referring to Behar and Haines. By that logic, McCain could be back at any time. We’ll have to see.

After discussing their summer breaks, the co-hosts dug their hands into the hot topics of the day. First up was Biden’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal. While Haines and Hostin weren’t huge fans of Biden’s approach, Behar had some words of support for POTUS.

“I believe that in six months people will say about this war, ‘Biden got us out of the longest war that Americans ever had.’ No other president can say that,” she said. “Joe Biden got us out of a war after 20 years. I mean, I think the man deserves a lot of credit of that.”

Haines chimed in afterwards, adding: “I disagree, and I’m a Biden fan,” she said. “He can’t get anything done right now. I think somewhere in his mind, he thought, ‘If I could get us out of this war,’ — he’s even talked about the 9/11 anniversary — he’d have something.”

But there was no yelling, no passive aggressive comments, no cut to commercial, nada! The ladies of The View may have had four long years of bitter arguments with McCain, but they’re taking no time to return to tranquil discussions.

The new Texas abortion law was next on the roster, and one of the co-hosts has a strong opinion on the matter. Hostin is firmly against abortion, and after stating she thinks it’s “morally wrong,” she still took the time to agree with the other women of the panel that the law was hypocritical.

“I see this incredible hypocrisy coming from the Christian Right,” Hostin said. “They’re so supportive of gun ownership, they’re so supportive of AR-15s, they’re so supportive of the death penalty, they’re so supportive of never-ending wars.”

Behar interrupted, then adding: “They also don’t care after the kid is born. They drop it like a hot rock.” After Hostin continued listing “personal freedoms” that Republicans value over life, Behar picked a bit of a fight. “But Sunny, this is about women,” she said.

And yet, instead of bickering back, Hostin wrapped up her argument and the women came to an agreement. Thanks to Haines’ final comments, the panel earned an overwhelming round of applause from the audience.

“Nobody is pro-abortion. That is a decision that people are brought to and it is life-changing, hard, altering — no man has to face this. This is not something anyone is for, just to be clear. We are all pro-life,” Haines concluded, and for once, the entire panel of women seemed to agree on the matter.

Back together in the studio and making compromises — it seems The View‘s Season 25 is off to a flying start! We’ll see, though, as Republican politician Mia Love joins the panel tomorrow to shake things up.

The View airs weekdays on ABC at 11/10c.

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