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THE View’s future will be decided in the coming months as it battles a declining audience, a TV insider has told The U.S. Sun.
Earlier in the summer fans demanded that the daytime television mainstay be canceled.
Social media users pointed the finger at the show’s hosts and their controversial viewpoints for its fluctuating ratings.
An ABC network source explained that it is unlikely to be canned before this year’s election but faces an uphill battle as its audience grows older.
A lot is riding on whether it can make headlines during an election year which could lead to Democratic nominee Kamala Harris becoming the first ever female U.S. president.
"The larger issue is that while the show continues to be profitable for ABC and its affiliated TV stations, the audiences are declining every year and they're getting older every year,” the TV veteran said.
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“That's not a reversible trend and it's why there's a ticking clock on this franchise.
"With a female in the presidential race, The View can be an important place to discuss the election and even to hear from politicians themselves ahead of November's vote.
“The next four months are everything as far as maximizing interest in the show and the team they have in place right now.
“They need big guests and they need to make news and if they can manage that, everybody will still have their jobs in 2025.
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“The real danger is when nobody is talking about the show at all -- that's when you'll know the end is near.”
The source explained that the show’s most famous panelist, Whoopi Goldberg, continues to be a lightning rod for The View in both positive and negative ways.
Despite being suspended in 2022 for saying that the Holocaust was “not about race”, Whoopi continues to enjoy the network’s support, the insider explained.
"Whoopi is on the show because she is a gifted communicator and interviewer and also because she just has a way of getting right to the heart of the matter and get the show headlines,” the source said.
“But it's always going to be a double edged sword with a star as outspoken as Whoopi is, and there have been significant consequences, like her suspension in 2022.
“ABC News is not going to fire one of their most prominent Black female personalities when a Black woman is running for president.
“That's just not going to happen.
“Whoopi is probably safe for the rest of the year because of that, and she continues to have a lot of opportunities outside the show.
“For now, she's staying put but it's bound to be a different story in six months, after the election.”
The View hosts
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The View is an American talk show airing on ABC from 11am-12pm EST, Monday through Friday. It features a diverse group of women that discuss the day's "Hot Topics", ranging from hard-hitting news to celebrity gossip. The six co-hosts include:
The source also explained that the death of The View’s original creator and host Barbara Walters in December 2022 means that the show is less likely to survive.
“The fact that Barbara Walters has long since passed makes ending the show outright a lot easier,” they said.
“The decision-makers at the network and at ABC news were afraid to mess with the show too much while Barbara was alive but now, all bets are off.
“The show is profitable, but it's trending downward and everybody involved knows it.
“Their hope is to make enough noise with the show during the election season and power through to the end of the year before re-evaluating.
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"As far as the fans and their constant griping, that's welcomed at ABC because it puts eyes on the show and causes the video clips to circulate widely on social media.
"Fan outrage is a sign of success for this show, and that's always been the situation at The View."