It appears that viewers will no longer witness Elisabeth Hasselbeck argue with the progressive members of "The View" caucus of hosts. It was already clear that she wouldn't be arguing with Joy Behar any longer, as on Thursday Behar announced she was leaving the show; on Friday a report said that Hasselbeck was being ousted.
Joy Behar's departure from "The View" comes after nearly 17 years on the show. Hasselbeck has been on the show for nine years.
Hasselbeck's political bent, though, is far right, and she has frequently clashed with others, such as Whoopi Goldberg. A source said that that the 35-year-old co-host is being dumped because she has been characterized as “too extreme and right wing” to stay on the hit daytime ABC talk show.
According to the source,
The viewers they polled all said she was too extreme and right wing. People did not watch the show because of Elisabeth. So they told her yesterday her contract would not be renewed.
Hasselbeck's departure, unlike Behar's, has not been confirmed.
Behar confirmed that she wants to leave the show so that she could concentrate on her standup comedy career. She said:
It seemed like the right time. You reach a point when you say to yourself, "Do I want to keep doing this?" There are other things on my plate I want to do -- I’ve been writing a play, I’ve been neglecting my standup.
Behar's contract is said to be up in August.
Update: On Monday, Barbara Walters -- on camera -- denied the reports of Hasselbeck's ouster.
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