The new year has so far not brought any relief from COVID or the effect the virus has on our daily lives. The Omicron variant continues to surge, and news about the many celebrities and athletes testing positive continues to wreak havoc in the worlds of sports and entertainment, among many other areas of the workforce. The View is having a particularly rough time, with the ABC daytime talk show going from one to two missing co-hosts this week as it flips back to remote productions.
On January 3, Joy Behar announced that Whoopi Goldberg had tested positive for COVID, likely making her unavailable for The View until the following week. On January 4, the Emmy Award-winning show took another hit, as Joy Behar said co-host Sara Haines had been in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID, and she too would be missing from the show. In her words:
Sara was in close contact, so she’s not here. It’s like Agatha Christie, ‘And then there were three.’
Unfortunately it does feel pretty gloomy — and more like 2020 than any of us would prefer — to see the entertainment industry either transitioning back to remote work or shutting down altogether when going remote isn’t an option. The View co-hosts Joy Behar and Sunny Hostin were joined by guest co-host Ana Navarro and Yvette Nicole Brown, who was filling in for Sara Haines, with all present and accounted for panelists appearing from their homes.
On the January 3 episode of The View, the co-hosts all discussed how COVID had affected their holidays, with Sara Haines saying that while she and her children were able to safely visit her parents in Florida, her husband had tested positive in the meantime.
I came back to a COVID-positive husband. So Max got COVID, and we had to quarantine within the house, so I had the kids, we were in KN95 masks. We were lucky we’re in a house now, because we never could have done this in an apartment, but we stayed clear, and I have tested negative four times. I’ve boosted, vaccinated. We were really prudent with our hands and staying away from each other.
It wasn’t specified whether or not her husband’s positive test was the close contact that necessitated Sara Haines' absence from The View, but the co-host did go on to say on the January 3 show that her family is “all healthy now.” With four negative COVID tests, it really does seem like she might have dodged a bullet, and hopefully she remains well and can resume her co-hosting duties soon.
Whoopi Goldberg, meanwhile, had also missed a couple of episodes last month after being exposed to COVID. She was out for the December 15 and 16 episodes of The View ahead of its winter hiatus, and Joy Behar more formally announced the fellow comedienne's absence on January 3.
Whoopi unfortunately tested positive over the break, but she’ll probably be back next week. Since she’s vaxxed and boosted, her symptoms have been very, very mild.
Sunny Hostin also revealed that she and her mother also tested positive for COVID over the holidays, but she had recovered in time to return to The View in the new year. Fingers crossed the often controversial talk show can find a sense of hosting normalcy as the new year continues.
Check your local listings to see when to catch The View on ABC, and while waiting to see when Haines will return, check out how COVID continues to affect the world of entertainment.
