Cindy McCain Proves She’s the McCain to Co-Host ‘The View’

Sorry Meghan, there’s a new McCain in town on The View. The former co-host’s mother, Cindy McCain, joined the panel to guest host the show today, and fans have been pleasantly shocked by her easygoing demeanor and lack of interruptions. They’re so blown out of the water, in fact, that they’ve started to question if the pair are actually related. (One look at that hair should clue you in, though.) Yes, on today’s The View, Cindy McCain proved that she’s actually the McCain family member that should be the show’s conservative voice.

Cindy began the show by giving a shoutout to Meghan, updating her former co-hosts about daughter Liberty and more. When Meghan exited the show, she cited her daughter as one of the reasons for her departure — so without The View, Cindy said, Meghan has had more time to focus on motherhood.

“They’re wonderful,” McCain said. “They’re just adorable. I was just up for her first birthday last week. She’s so cute! She’s just precious, and Meghan is loving being a mom. She’s just suited for it. It’s wonderful.”

Moving into hot topics, the co-hosts had a tense debate over free education. While another McCain may have been up-in-arms over the idea, Cindy was not the co-host who began a brawl on today’s show. Sara Haines stepped in as the contrarian instead, going head-to-head with Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, and Joy Behar over the topic. As it all played out, social media users took note of McCain’s level-headed tone.

“It was so nice to watch The View now and hear an actual discussion with different opinions without having to watch someone throw a temper tantrum every day,” one Twitter user wrote.

Next on the docket was Nikki Haley’s potential campaign for the presidency in 2024, which the co-hosts — even Cindy! — all agreed was in poor taste. After the co-hosts teased McCain by asking what had happened to her party, she still played along. Folks were astonished, suggesting Cindy’s way of handling the conservative position was a stark contrast from her daughter.

“Cindy McCain is much more authentic than her loud-mouthed daughter,” one user shared.

Sadly, Cindy McCain’s hosting gig is a one-time-only event. Her stint was just for today’s episode (Oct. 6), so we won’t get to see her in action — unless she nabs the permanent spot from Meghan. She followed conservative co-host Alyssa Farah, who subbed in on Monday and Tuesday’s (Oct. 4 and 5) tapings. The next guest host will come in two days for Flashback Friday (Oct. 8), a surprise former member of The View panel who will return for more hot topics.

Scroll up to watch McCain’s intro segment. The View airs weekdays on ABC at 11/10c.

Where to watch The View