ABC officials said Thursday night big changes were coming to the show,
and soon afterward Sherrie Shepherd and Jenny McCarthy took to social media to
confirm they were leaving the morning talkfest.
“ ‘The View’ will be moving in an exciting new direction next season
and ABC has made decisions to evolve the show creatively,” said Lauri Hogan, a
spokeswoman for the program.
Sources told the Daily News talks broke down between Shepherd and
network officials, who had also opted not to renew McCarthy’s deal with ABC,
which ends in July.
Word of the co-hosts’ departures came after a staff meeting to address
questions on the show’s future and at the beginning of a holiday week-long
hiatus, sources said.
It was unclear whether Shepherd, 47, and McCarthy, 41, would return to
say farewell when the program resumes live in July.
Barbara Walters, 84, who retired from the program she created in 1997
and remains its executive producer, declined to comment on the firings.
Goldberg, 58, is the last host sitting on the show’s couch — with no
one yet slated to share the popular “Hot Topics” segment.
Some media outlets reported that Bill Geddie, 58, also an executive
producer on the show, has been let go, too. But an insider said he’s
negotiating a new contract and is expected to return.
Shepherd and McCarthy confirmed Thursday they were out.
“It’s been seven wonderful years on ‘The View,’ and after careful
consideration it is time for me to move on,” Shepherd said in a statement. “I
am extremely grateful to Barbara Walters and Bill Geddie for giving me the
opportunity. I look forward to the business opportunities that lay ahead for me
and I am incredibly grateful to my ‘View’ family and my fans for supporting me
on this journey.”
McCarthy, who joined the show in July, announced her departure via
Twitter: “If Sherri goes I go too. #sisters. My view will be changing too. ...
Thanks to everyone at the show for your dedication and an amazing year.”
The former Playboy Playmate replaced Elisabeth Hasselbeck, 37, but
never clicked with viewers.
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