When you have a show that's been on as long as The View has, it's not unusual for there to be a lot of turnover when it comes to the co-hosts. Early this year, fans of the daytime talk show saw Abby Huntsman leave her hosting duties on the show behind after less than two years, and while the show went on without her or a permanent replacement for the remainder of Season 23, it now looks like a familiar face will be stepping in to take over when the show is back up and running in September: former co-host Sara Haines.
Of course, if you're a regular watcher of The View, it hasn't been that long since you've seen Sara Haines sit at the panel with Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin and Meghan McCain. While Haines was previously a permanent co-host for two seasons from 2016 through 2018, she returned earlier this year to fill in for a few episodes after Huntsman left. According to Deadline, Haines is already in talks to re-join the show for Season 24, which is set to bow on September 8.
Viewers may remember that Sara Haines actually left The View so that she could join Michael Strahan (who was still relatively fresh from his sudden exit from Live! with Kelly and Michael) on the newly planned third hour of Good Morning America. After Haines returned from her summer 2019 maternity leave, that hour was retooled itself, with actress Keke Palmer (who'd filled in for Haines) added to the co-hosts, and the show retitled GMA3: Strahan, Sara & Keke. Unfortunately, it was pulled for a coronavirus-focused daily series, Pandemic: What You Need To Know, in mid-March and Strahan, Sara & Keke was cancelled in late July.
So, with Sara Haines available and her obviously being willing to return to her old stomping grounds at The View, it's pretty easy to see why the long-running show would court her for a permanent place on the panel. When you have a talk show where the co-hosts spend each day talking about current events, particularly politics, some disagreements are bound to happen, but the dust-ups on camera at The View have become legendary. Because Haines is more politically moderate than the other hosts, she may be less likely to get into arguments.
Audiences are already familiar enough with Sara Haines to jump right in and accept her when Season 24 premieres, but her being more middle-of-the-road may have helped along the decision to try and bring Haines back in. It's become standard for the show to have one solidly conservative co-host (which, despite plenty of rumors, still looks like it will be Meghan McCain when the new season starts), but the producers may want to have someone who is at least more understanding of the conservative viewpoint, to help discussions along, in the hopes that conversations don't become as contentious as they've sometimes been in the past.
Who knows? If Sarah Haines does return to The View full time, maybe she can smooth things over between Goldberg and McCain the next time things get so heated that the more experienced co-host / moderator tells her fellow host to stop talking. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens!
Season 24 of The View will start on ABC, September 8 at 11 a.m. EST, but for more on what to watch in the coming weeks, check out our fall TV premiere schedule!
