‘The View’ Names Ana Navarro and Alyssa Farah Griffin as Co-Hosts for Season 26

“The View” is adding two new co-hosts: former Trump staffer, Alyssa Farah Griffin, as well as longtime contributor to the show, Ana Navarro, who Variety has learned has signed a multi-year deal as a permanent co-host, though she won’t appear every day on the show.

Both women are Republicans and will add conservative commentary to the daytime talk show, though their political brands are vastly different, despite their same party affiliation.

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Navarro and Farah Griffin will join moderator Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin and Sara Haines, resulting in six co-hosts for Season 26.

Navarro — a fan-favorite on “The View” who identifies as a Republican, but is a staunch critic of former President Donald Trump —  has appeared as a weekly guest host on the show, but never officially had a permanent spot at the Hot Topics table until now. Over the years, Variety has reported that she had been in discussions to join “The View,” but a full-time deal never materialized.

Insiders tell Variety that while Navarro has inked a deal to be named a permanent co-host, she will continue in her role as a political commentator on CNN and Telemundo, so she won’t be on “The View” every single day, and will be traveling from Miami to New York City to film the show. A person familiar with Navarro’s negotiations says she has inked a long-term deal with ABC.

“‘The View’ is an institution and incomparable platform for women of different backgrounds to share their opinions and insights,” said Navarro in a statement. “It’s been a long courtship, but we’re finally making it official. I love being on the show, and I love living in Miami. I’m happy I will be able to do both. Thank you to ABC News, ‘The View’ family and our loyal viewers for their continued support.”

Farah Griffin will also be continuing in her role as a political commentator on CNN, while joining “The View” full time. Variety previously reported that Farah Griffin was expected to join “The View,” as she had been auditioning as a guest host on the show in recent months. When we reported she was in final negotiations to join as the conservative co-host, several sources said Navarro was disappointed that she hadn’t been selected for the permanent gig. Now, it appears deals were reached to include both women for the upcoming season.

Farah Griffin’s addition to “The View” could prove to be controversial on both sides. She worked for Trump, but only disavowed him after the Jan. 6 insurrection — when she began her television career.

Farah Griffin served as former vice president Mike Pence’s press secretary from 2017 to 2019 and then became press secretary for the United States Department of Defense, before joining the Trump White House in April 2020 where she was the president’s top spokesperson and helped engineer his response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She also was the youngest person in history to serve as the top spokesperson for the Pentagon. She spent roughly eight months in her role working for President Trump, resigning one month after he lost to President Joe Biden. Ever since she left the White House, she has condemned the former president, publicly disagreeing with his failure to accept the election results and blaming him for the insurrection. In late 2021, Farah Griffin joined CNN as a contributor where she has frequently spoken about her time in the Trump White House.

Farah Griffin’s father is the conservative editor and author Joseph Farah, who founded the far-right website, WorldNetDaily, and rose to prominence with his Clinton conspiracy theories surrounding the suicide of Vince Foster, and then became known for promoting birtherism during Barack Obama’s presidency. During one of her appearances on “The View,” Farah Griffin said that her father refused to attend her wedding because of “political differences” after she spoke out against Trump.

In a statement, Farah Griffin said: “I couldn’t be more honored and thrilled to join the ladies of ‘The View.’ The show paved the way for women speaking up and speaking out on TV. At a time when our country is so divided, often on partisan lines, I’m honored to represent the conservative perspective. I hope to model what is too often lost by our elected leaders: learning from others, disagreeing respectfully, and focusing on finding real solutions for our country.”

Navarro is well known to “The View” audience, having appeared as a contributor on the show since 2015, before being named a weekly guest host in 2018. The Republican strategist has served in numerous Republican administrations, including as the national co-chair of the Hispanic Advisory Council for John McCain in 2008 and Jon Hunstman Jr. in 2012. (Navarro shared the screen on “The View” with McCain and Hunstman’s daughters, Meghan McCain and Abby Hunstman, who previously served as co-hosts on the ABC talk show.)

While both Navarro and Farah Griffin are Republicans, ABC in their press release, billed Farah Griffin as filling the “conservative seat,” which has been vacant since McCain left the show in 2021. Before McCain, Elisabeth Hasselbeck changed TV in 2003 as the first Republican arguing about the headlines of the day in daytime TV.

The announcement of the two new co-hosts comes after Variety reported that Hostin inked a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal that will keep her on “The View” for the next three years. ABC had also previously secured long-term deals with Goldberg and Behar, taking them both through Season 28, indicating that “The View” plans to keep many of its core co-hosts at the panel for the foreseeable future — particularly, through the 2024 election when ratings will likely surge.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with official statements from “The View” producers and co-hosts.

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