The View 's original hosts look back at SNL spoof of them: 'I loved it'

The original hosts of The View reunited Thursday in honor of the talk show's 25th anniversary to reminisce about their experiences and reflect on a series that would become a long-running game changer for daytime television.

Gathering at the Essex House — the site of the group's first chemistry read in 1997 — Joy Behar, Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, and Debbie Matenopoulos discussed everything from what they regret about their time on the show to their feelings about being impersonated on Saturday Night Live.

The View/YouTube Meredith Vieira, Joy Behar, Star Jones, and Debbie Matenopoulos reunite on 'The View.'

"I wish my character had been more interesting. I love Molly Shannon, but there wasn't much with me," Vieira admitted about the sketch. Still, she insisted, "I loved it," a sentiment Matenopoulos shared — and for good reason.

"You got all the celebrities to play you!" Jones pointed out, referencing Claire Danes, who hosted the 1997 episode. "So all the celebrity guests on SNL always played her...these pretty blonde hosts were always Debbie."

Thanks to its popularity, SNL has parodied the evolving roster of hosts on various occasions since the start of the show, most recently in 2019 when Leslie Jones, Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong, and Melissa Villaseñor satirized a segment with Emma Stone playing Jenny McCarthy. And while cohosts and casts (and sets) have certainly changed, there's been one big improvement from parodies of The View in the 1990s.

Paul Archuleta/Getty Images Meredith Vieira, one of the original hosts of 'The View,' looked back at a 'Saturday Night Live' spoof of her.

"I was always done by a man," Behar lamented to her costars, pointing out that the same thing happened to Jones — in the '90s sketch, she was played by Tracy Morgan.

Watch the video above and hear the former hosts talk about their SNL parody at the 2:00 mark.

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