Meghan McCain is reportedly considering leaving 'The View': 'Not worth the emotional toll'

Suzy Byrne
·Editor, Yahoo Entertainment
Updated

The days of Meghan McCain sparring with Joy Behar on The View may soon be over.

Sources close to McCain, 34, told the Daily Beast that she’s considering walking away from her TV gig — for which she is the prominent conservative voice and makes a lot of headlines — because she is drained. She’s been on the ABC daytime show since 2017, but may not be back in September for season 23.

A McCain “pal” told the website she feels like “a caged animal” on the show. Battling it out with liberal co-hosts Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin and others, it’s “getting to the point where it’s not worth the emotional toll every week,” the source said.

THE VIEW - Howard Stern is the guest today Thursday, 5/15/19 on ABC's "The View." "The View" airs Monday-Friday (11am-12pm, ET) on ABC. (Photo by Lou Rocco/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images) MEGHAN MCCAIN
Meghan McCain on The View. (Photo: Lou Rocco/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)

There have been lots of headline-making incidents on the show in recent months. In June, McCain yelled at Behar during a heated discussion, saying, “Don't feel bad for me, b****!” Back in April, she told Behar that part of her job “is to listen to me,” sparking uproar. She’s also had a tumultuous year in general — her father, Senator John McCain, died last August and she’s been publicly grieving.

The Arizona native, who lives in NYC while making the show, reportedly feels “so exhausted and defeated,” especially by the bad press. Tabloids regularly report on alleged diva behavior and portray her as entitled. One recent tabloid story claims that producers have nicknamed her “Manic McCain” due to meltdowns, crying fits and other drama on the set. However, it’s not just tabloids. John Oliver dubbed McCain the “most embarrassing” child of a politician in May.

McCain declined to speak with the Daily Beast for the article. However, Hilary Estey McLoughlin, The View’s senior executive producer, said, “We don’t want people to attack Meghan. We’re happy to have Meghan there. I think she does want to be there. I think she wants to be on the show. She realizes it’s a very good platform for her and we love having her there. I feel like she will come back.”

McLoughlin acknowledged, however, that the negative stories about McCain “don’t seem to go away.”

If McCain doesn’t renew her contract, “she will find other work,” the McCain source told the Daily Beast. She has been earning under $1 million a year, according to reports.

Twitter has been abuzz over McCain’s potential departure. There have been a lot of John McCain mentions:

Even more folks are pointing out the unfortunate use of the word “caged” considering the migrant detention camps crisis:

Some also think it’s all a ploy for a better contract:

Others worry about her potential replacement:

And, yes, some would miss her:

A rep for McCain has not yet responded to Yahoo’s request for comment. A show spokesperson tells us, “The co-hosts and The View have had an incredible season and we expect them all back for an epic year ahead.”

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