After Meghan McCain announced on Thursday that she’ll be leaving “The View” at the end of the season, many on social media didn’t hold back when it came to sharing approval of her departure.
“Meghan McCain has consistently been one of the most steadfastly uninformed commentators on television. She takes pride in her ignorance and refuses to engage in good faith. That’s always a problem but with her platform and influence, it’s quite dangerous,” wrote activist Charlotte Cylmer. Adding, “Good riddance.”
Bishop Talbert Swann joked that people broke out into “nationwide celebrations” after her announcement.
McCain announced her departure on the Thursday airing of the show, nearly four years after she joined the cast.
“I’m just gonna rip the Band-Aid off, I’m here to tell you, my wonderful co-hosts, and viewers at home that this is going to be my last season here at ‘The View,’ McCain said. “I will be here through the end of July to finish out the season with all of you which I am grateful for. This was not an easy decision. It took a lot of thought and counsel and prayer and talking to my family and close friends.”
McCain went on to say that the pandemic has changed the way she views her life.
“On a professional note, this show is hands down one of the greatest, most exhilarating, wonderful privileges of my entire life and I have had so many amazing experiences in my life and this is definitely one of the top. It is a privilege to work alongside such strong, resilient, intelligent, incredible broadcasters, like the four of you,” McCain told her co-hosts.
McCain shared that she didn’t want to join the cast of the show at first but that her father, Arizona Sen. John McCain, encouraged her to before he passed away, specifically citing the opportunity to work with Whoopi Goldberg.
Although Goldberg and McCain’s on-air relationship has seen its clashes, McCain has also expressed her admiration for her co-host.
“Getting to work with a living icon like @whoopigoldberg every day is still such a privilege and totally surreal,” she wrote on Instagram in September. “Love you Whoop, thank you for your unending support, friendship and political perspective — I continue to learn from you every day.”
Goldberg returned the sentiment, “He wanted you to be here with us because I think he thought we could help toughen you up for what was coming, which was this wonderful baby you were going to have and his departure. It was an honor when he said, ‘please take my child.’”
Co-host Sunny Hostin also shared words Meghan’s father imparted to her before his daughter joined the show. “He also told me to take it easy on Meghan and that I would learn to love her and understand her and that she would be a pain in the a– and he was right about all of those things.”
Goldberg took on the brunt of balancing learning to love Meghan while showing tough love. In December 2019, while discussing the impeachment inquiry targeting former President Donald Trump, McCain questioned if Goldberg and Hostin “wanted to hear a conservative perspective on this show ever.”
Goldberg replied, “Girl, please stop talking, please stop talking right now.”
“No problem, I won’t talk to the rest of the show, no problem,” McCain responded with a laugh.
“I’m OK with that,” Goldberg replied. “If you’re going to behave like this…”
Recently, on June 17, Goldberg and McCain clashed over President Joe Biden’s response to a reporter’s question about the summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
When McCain repeatedly said “I don’t care” as Goldberg attempted to finish her thought, the older co-host said, “Well, good, Meghan, then you can be how you always are, we’ll be right back.”
When the show returned after a commercial break, the two apologized to one another and people characterized McCain as “disrespectful” on social media in the aftermath of the exchange and called for her to be fired.
After McCain announced her departure, one user wrote, “My prayers have been answered! Can the season end TOMORROW?”
“Congrats to all of us,” wrote actor Nancy Lee Grahn.
Under The Shade Room’s post about McCain’s departure, users commented, “IK Whoopi happy,” and “Bye Bye cause Whoopi had enough of her BS,” while another wrote, “Thank you God.”
Goldberg wished McCain nothing but the best on Thursday, saying, “It has been quite wonderful to sit across from you. Your dad was very smart. He wanted you to be here with us because I think he thought we could help toughen you up for what was coming,” citing her father’s passing and the birth of her daughter Liberty. “It was an honor when he said, ‘Please take my child.'”
