It’s no secret that Joy Behar and Meghan McCain stand on opposite sides of the political spectrum, making for fist-pounding banter during airings of “The View.” Industry insiders say the two “get along” for the most part, but it’s veteran co-host Whoopi Goldberg who really keeps the peace.
“The truth is, Meghan and Joy like each other and get along more often than not — they just don’t agree on their politics,” a source familiar with the show told PEOPLE.com last week. “But when [co-host] Whoopi [Goldberg] isn’t there, things get a little off the rails.”
“They all respect her, and she keeps things on track,” the source added.
For McCain, Goldberg is more like family. The two go way back, as Goldberg has been a close friend of the McCain family since Meghan was a little girl and also shared a tight friendship with her father, late Arizona Sen. John McCain. Goldberg is also the one who put in the good word for McCain to appear as a co-host on “The View.”
Both Behar, 76, and McCain, 34, are unafraid to share their opinions and often engage in on-air spats. Their latest clash came earlier this week as the panel was discussing a fiery Twitter exchange between Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and President Donald Trump. Behar accused McCain of throwing a “hissy fit” after scolding her for interrupting.
“Can I say something now?” McCain jumped in. “Is that okay, Joy? Do I have permission to speak now on Amy Klobuchar? We’re all good?”
“No, if you’re going to have a hissy fit, we can’t continue,” Behar replied, drawing a few chuckles from the audience.
The drama reportedly continued after the cameras stopped rolling, as McCain “blew up” on producers for siding with Behar. The former Fox News contributor, who remained silent for the rest of the segment following the argument, allegedly felt she was being ganged up on and treated unfairly, sources close to the show said. Now, producers are reportedly urging her to make some adjustments to her behavior if she wants to remain on the show.
“Producers told Meghan that she can’t sulk and sit in silence, a source told Radar Online. “They have told her that this is a TV show and a talk show and the hosts must talk. They cannot sit in silence, upset and pouting.”
There’s no word on when Goldberg will make her return to the roundtable, but hopefully Behar and McCain can hold it together until then.
Watch more in the clip below.
