On July 23, during an episode of The View, co-host Joy Behar accused Donald Trump of being jealous of Barack Obama. She said Trump is “so jealous of Obama, because Obama is everything that he is not—trim, smart, handsome, happily married, and can sing Al Green’s ‘Let’s Stay Together’ better than Al Green. And Trump cannot stand it. It’s driving him crazy.”
Less than a day later, the White House responded. Spokesperson Taylor Rogers told Entertainment Weekly: “Joy Behar is an irrelevant loser suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome,” and added that The View has “hit the lowest ratings.” She threatened, without evidence, that The View “should self-reflect on her own jealousy… before her show is the next to be pulled off air.”
ABC quickly pushed back. A spokesperson confirmed that The View is in its 28th season, is currently the top-rated network daytime show for the fifth straight season, and continues to grow among women aged 18 to 49.
The threat comes amid ongoing tension between Trump and late-night shows. Trump recently celebrated the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and publicly claimed that Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon could be next.
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On July 24, FCC Chair Brendan Carr said during a press conference that programs like The View “may start facing consequences.” That comment added fuel to concerns over executive influence on private network programming.
Behar’s remarks came during the show’s Hot Topics segment. She pointed to Trump’s false claim that Obama “tried to lead a coup” and suggested that Trump’s jealousy was deeper than politics.
Andy Cohen later criticized the White House attacks on The View. On his show Watch What Happens Live, Cohen called spokesperson Rogers a “jackhole” and called out the administration’s habit of insulting female media figures.
The View hosts—including Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Ana Navarro—have repeatedly made waves with political commentary. Goldberg herself has called Trump “dangerous,” “a liar,” and “a grifter.”
Even though Trump has no legal authority to pull an ABC show off the air, his public threats come at a sensitive time. His executive order in May defunded public media like NPR and PBS. That order has faced lawsuits and controversy for its impact on free speech and journalism.
The View is on its usual summer break and returns in early September. After Behar’s comments and the White House response, some MAGA supporters wrongly believed the show had been canceled.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
