Another former The View co-host is speaking out on the “toxic environment” of the set.
Abby Huntsman, who left the show in 2020 after less than two years, is the latest to blast the talk show, following in Meghan McCain and Candace Cameron Bure’s footsteps.
As viewers will recall, during the former Fox News anchor’s last day on the show, she revealed she was leaving to help her father, Republican politician Jon Huntsman Jr., with his campaign for governor of Utah. But now she admits that was all just one big excuse!
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Calling the campaign a “great out” for her, Huntsman explained on the premiere episode of her new podcast I Wish Somebody Told Me:
“I knew the show did not reflect my values.”
And she clarified immediately she wasn’t talking about politics!
“When I say that I mean rewarding people for bad behavior. At that time there were executives in charge and that I did feel that we were kind of players in that game and it was about money and it was about ratings and the tabloids.”
TV executives obsessed with ratings, wild… But her real problem was with what was going on backstage. Slamming the work environment, she continued:
“You would see people act in ways that were not OK, that was very much part of the toxic environment of The View, and here we were going on the air criticizing others for toxic culture.”
Unfortunately she did not get specific with any accusations.
Despite supposedly sharing her concerns about the “unbearable culture” to executives, she claims she was met with nothing more than a “blank stare.” And because nobody seemed willing to acknowledge or fix the problems she experienced, Abby decided it was time for her to sign off to protect her mental health. On that final day, she recalls:
“When I was walking out of the building that day, I was living again. I could breathe and feel myself breathing. I was present and I hadn’t been present for the almost two years I was there.”
Wow! That certainly suggests it was an unhealthy place for her. Nobody walking away from a dream job would feel like that!
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But here’s where things get tricky. In a statement to The Wrap, a spokesperson for The View addressed the controversy yet again, simply stating:
“Twenty-two incredible women have had a seat on the panel and have worked in collaboration with the dedicated group of professionals on our staff. Abby will always remain a part of The View family and we look forward to continuing the conversation with her when she visits next month.”
Hmmm… So… She’s returning as a guest host despite making these harsh claims on her podcast? That seems like an odd decision!
So far, the 35-year-old is just one of many former hosts criticizing their former employer for a messed-up experience. Earlier this month, Candace, who co-hosted from 2015 to 2016, claimed she suffered “emotional stress” and PTSD after leaving the show. On the Behind the Table podcast, she shared what it was like to be the token conservative, noting:
“When I felt like I was going into a show that I didn’t have a clear opinion about or it was something that I was legitimately nervous to talk about because I did have an opinion about it but I knew I was the only one at the table that had my opinion, I would just get sick to my stomach. I hated that feeling. And then I’m like, ‘I don’t know who’s going to come at me.’”
Similarly, in an excerpt from her new memoir, Bad Republican, John McCain‘s daughter claimed her fellow hosts’ “toxic, direct and purposeful hostility” toward her forced her to leave the program. She even named an intense on-air squabble with Joy Behar as one of the most significant moments that caused her to call it quits. Discussing her return after maternity leave, she noted:
“On my second day back, as I was still getting my sea legs back and adjusting to my new schedule and life between breast-pumping and researching for my hot topics, Joy [Behar] and I began squabbling a bit about the state of the Democratic Party on air. To make light of things and to ease the tension, I said, ‘Joy, you missed me so much when I was on maternity leave! You missed fighting with me!’
‘I did not,’ Joy said. ‘I did not miss you. Zero.'”
Yeah, tough to forget that one. Ouch.
ABC was quick to publish a statement in response, however, claiming that an investigation had taken place that determined McCain was the one causing so many issues with colleagues. The overwhelming response to the show on Twitter could have told you that.
Sound OFF with your reactions in the comments (below), Perezcious readers!
The post Abby Huntsman Joins Meghan McCain In Calling <i>The View</i> A ‘Toxic Environment’ -- But She's Going Back?! appeared first on Perez Hilton.