Co-host Meghan McCain has made her mark as “The View‘s” sharp-tongued conservative commentator and has no trouble holding her own. After two seasons, however, the political pundit said there are some things she’s still getting used to.
One of them is jeers from the audience.
Meghan McCain, 35, revealed that boos from the audience still get to her. (Photo: “Entertainment Tonight” video screenshot)
“Getting booed is very hard,” McCain, 35, said during a sit-down with fellow “View” host Joy Behar ahead of the daytime show’s 5,000th episode. “I am still not used to it. I don’t like when the audience does that.”
The co-hosts, who’ve locked horns in the past, interviewed each other for a segment on “Entertainment Tonight,” where they spoke candidly about the sometimes tense moments on the show. Just last week, “The View” made headlines after moderator Whoopi Goldberg publicly scolded McCain for her lack of “respect” toward fellow show hosts.
The Arizona native has also caught heat for what critics have decried as her “rude,” “entitled” and “bratty” behavior on air. But McCain says she’s simply passionate about the topics of the day.
“This is a very hard job,” she acknowledged to Behar, 77, adding: “I think because you and I are so emotionally invested in the topics, I get very upset or happy. It’s like, lots of intense emotions on this show.”
The duo’s one-on-one interview drew plenty of reactions from critics who had their own opinions about McCain’s complaints.
“The list is quite long of the things about Meghan McCain that bother a lot of people,” one critic tweeted.
“Meghan cares about not being liked,” another chimed in. “She is always trying to convince herself that she’s tough. The reality she is nowhere by any means tough!”
One user dubbed McCain a “friggen snowflake,” writing: “She can dish it out but can’t take it.”
To the shock of her fans, however, McCain’s spot on “The View” was almost a missed opportunity.
In a separate interview with Yahoo! News, the Fox News alum revealed she almost didn’t take the job at the long-running talk show, but soon changed her mind after a strong talking-to from her father, the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)
“My agent called me and was like, ‘The View is interested in you,’ and I was like, ‘tell them to kick rocks, in a way — I’m not joining that crazy team!’ she recalled. “And my dad got really mad at me and he was like, ‘Why would you even consider passing up this incredible opportunity?’ So I called them back and said, ‘My dad says I have to do it!’ ”
The daytime talk show, created by Barbara Walters in 1997, continues to thrive and is currently on its 23rd season. In addition to Behar and McCain, the round table features hosts Sunny Hostin, Abby Huntsman and Goldberg.
