Before this morning, if you'd asked any fan of ABC's The View which of the co-hosts might be about to jump ship, pretty much everyone would have guessed that Meghan McCain would be the most likely to abandon her post on the daytime talk show. But, fans were met with a surprise earlier when Abby Huntsman, who's only been a part of the panel since the fall of 2018, announced that she would be leaving the show.
That news became even more surprising when Abby Huntsman revealed that not only was she leaving The View behind, but that this Friday's show is going to be her last. So, why the sudden exit? Luckily, it's not due to any behind the scenes squabbles or on-air offenses. Huntsman is going to help her father, Jon Huntsman, by consulting on his gubernatorial campaign in Utah. The elder Huntsman was governor of Utah from 2005-2009, and announced in November that he was trying for the seat again.
If this news sounds like it's come about rather suddenly, you're not imagining things, because it has. Abby Huntsman, who replaced The View panelist Sara Haines when she decamped for her own hour of Good Morning America with Michael Strahan, admitted that her father had asked her to help run his campaign months ago, but she didn't feel like it was the right time. But, having some time off during the holidays, along with getting to spend extra time with him and the rest of her family, convinced her otherwise.
The audience was clearly surprised to hear that Abby Huntsman is heading off for greener pastures, with audible gasps and one particularly disappointed and loud "No!" coming from them when she told them she was saying goodbye. Her co-hosts were also disappointed, but they were supportive of her decision to move on, noting that they wanted her to come back if / when she wanted to. Even though Huntsman agreed not to "ghost the show," she never did confirm that she planned to return on a regular basis after Joy Behar asked if she'd come back should her dad win the election.
So, for now we should take this as a mostly permanent parting of the ways for The View and Abby Huntsman, but this opens up a very big question: who is the show going to get to replace her? Many hosts have come and gone on The View throughout its 23 season run, and usually with a fair bit more controversy than how Huntsman is leaving. With all the reported trouble surrounding Meghan McCain and the on-air battles she has with her co-hosts, it's hard not to wonder if she'll also decide to leave now that someone she's known for so long outside of the show won't be around anymore.
You can take a look at the full clip of Abby Huntsman's announcement below:
Abby Huntsman's last day on The View will be this Friday, January 17. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest on her replacement, and other news about your favorites in television and film.
