Jenny McCarthy was a co-host on The View for one year, and now she’s speaking out about her hellish experience on the show. She opened up about her fights with Whoopi Goldberg and Barbara Walters’ erratic behavior. Click through the gallery for all the info.
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Jenny, 46,
began working as a co-host on The View in 2013, during Barbara’s last season on the show before her retirement. Now, she’s opened up about that experience in
Ramin Setoodeh’s new book,
Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of “The View,” of which
Vulture obtained an excerpt.
Photo credit: Getty Images
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According to Jenny, the show was trying to pivot away from politics and toward more discussions of pop culture. She said that Barbara, 89, was increasingly erratic and often mean.
Photo credit: Getty Images
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“Imagine a woman like Barbara Walters,” Jenny said. “It’s her last year and she doesn’t want to leave. Think about that. And I’m the new b***h there.”
Photo credit: Getty Images
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She also claimed that Barbara’s memory was going. When they talked about
Katy Perry, Jenny said the legendary host got confused. “I saw Barbara’s face with her big saucer eyes look at me. Then we went to a commercial. She said, ‘Who is it that you’re talking about and why are you bringing her up?’” Jenny recalled.
Photo credit: Getty Images
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“She was spacing out. She was checking out,” the former Playboy star remembered. So the show quickly shifted away from pop culture back to politics, which overwhelmed Jenny. “I panicked because I don’t consider myself a political person,” she said.
Photo credit: MEGA
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Whoopi, 63, and Barbara also had their own blowout fights, Jenny alleged.
Photo credit: MEGA
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“There was a war between Barbara and Whoopi about Barbara wanting to moderate,” Jenny said. “This is one of the reasons I decided not to ally with Whoopi. It broke my heart when
Barbara would shuffle to Whoopi and say, ‘Can I moderate, please?’ And Whoopi would say no. How can you do this to a woman who paved the way for so many female journalists? The reason we’re doing this job is because of Barbara Walters.”
Photo credit: Getty Images
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“Whoopi can knock over anyone in a debate. Her voice is strong not only in meaning but also in sound,” Jenny said of the tense environment. “I was able to get a point out in three words — like ‘I don’t agree’ — and that’s all I would be able to say. I would be stepped on or interrupted.”
Photo credit: MEGA
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She said, “To me, Whoopi had an addiction to controlling people’s thoughts, their words, the room, the table, your feeling, your mood. She had an addiction to controlling all of it and everybody.”
Photo credit: MEGA
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What do you think of Jenny’s recollections of her time at The View? Sound off in the comments!
Photo credit: MEGA
Jenny, 46,
began working as a co-host on The View in 2013, during Barbara’s last season on the show before her retirement. Now, she’s opened up about that experience in
Ramin Setoodeh’s new book,
Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of “The View,” of which
Vulture obtained an excerpt.
Photo credit: Getty Images
According to Jenny, the show was trying to pivot away from politics and toward more discussions of pop culture. She said that Barbara, 89, was increasingly erratic and often mean.
Photo credit: Getty Images
“Imagine a woman like Barbara Walters,” Jenny said. “It’s her last year and she doesn’t want to leave. Think about that. And I’m the new b***h there.”
Photo credit: Getty Images
She also claimed that Barbara’s memory was going. When they talked about
Katy Perry, Jenny said the legendary host got confused. “I saw Barbara’s face with her big saucer eyes look at me. Then we went to a commercial. She said, ‘Who is it that you’re talking about and why are you bringing her up?’” Jenny recalled.
Photo credit: Getty Images
“She was spacing out. She was checking out,” the former Playboy star remembered. So the show quickly shifted away from pop culture back to politics, which overwhelmed Jenny. “I panicked because I don’t consider myself a political person,” she said.
Whoopi, 63, and Barbara also had their own blowout fights, Jenny alleged.
“There was a war between Barbara and Whoopi about Barbara wanting to moderate,” Jenny said. “This is one of the reasons I decided not to ally with Whoopi. It broke my heart when
Barbara would shuffle to Whoopi and say, ‘Can I moderate, please?’ And Whoopi would say no. How can you do this to a woman who paved the way for so many female journalists? The reason we’re doing this job is because of Barbara Walters.”
Photo credit: Getty Images
“Whoopi can knock over anyone in a debate. Her voice is strong not only in meaning but also in sound,” Jenny said of the tense environment. “I was able to get a point out in three words — like ‘I don’t agree’ — and that’s all I would be able to say. I would be stepped on or interrupted.”
She said, “To me, Whoopi had an addiction to controlling people’s thoughts, their words, the room, the table, your feeling, your mood. She had an addiction to controlling all of it and everybody.”
What do you think of Jenny’s recollections of her time at The View? Sound off in the comments!
