The View host Alyssa Farah Griffin is out on maternity leave for the foreseeable future. ABC has a rotating roster of guest co-hosts to fill in for her. Yet, could one stay for good? Viewers made a huge push for one guest co-host to have a permanent seat at the table. Keep reading for more details on the unexpected turn of events.
The View Spotlights Conservative Voices Amid FCC Investigation
When Barbara Walters created The View, the purpose was to give women from all walks of life a voice. That included political differences. As political debate heated up over the last few years, the ABC talk show clearly leaned liberal. Fox News cited a 2025 study that revealed that The View welcomed over 100 liberal or left-leaning guests and zero conservative ones.
The talk show has been trying to fix that. First, by welcoming former Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. When it came time to fill Alyssa Farah Griffin’s seat, The View has tapped mainly conservative voices, at least so far.
The decision to spotlight Republican voices comes amid an investigation by the FCC. The television watchdog agency has been keeping close tabs on whether talk shows follow the equal time rule for political guests. The View is under investigation for allegedly breaking the rule.
Viewers Make Push For Guest Host To Get Permanent Seat
Alyssa Farah Griffin had a role in President Trump’s first administration. She joined The View as a co-host in 2022 after guest-hosting several times. She announced in October that she was expecting her first child with her husband, as she was open about fertility struggles.
The View host welcomed a boy in February and began maternity leave. Guest co-hosts, including Savannah Chrisley, Amanda Carpenter, and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, have filled in. Many viewers weren’t happy with Elisabeth Hasselbeck or Savannah Chrisley, but they’re absolutely loving the current guest co-host.
Sheryl Underwood co-hosted The Talk for fourteen seasons. The CBS talk show was canceled unexpectedly in 2024. The View fans took to Reddit to gush over her as a guest co-host. Several viewers mentioned the possibility of Sheryl Underwood returning as a guest co-host when the other hosts are out. However, several fans went even further and pushed for Sheryl Underwood to join the show full-time.
- “Can she be permanent? Please? What a breath of fresh air after last week”
- “We need to keep the same cast of co-hosts but seriously add Sheryl to the mix. Ratings will seriously skyrocket by having all 7 ladies!”
- “Keep everybody and add Sheryl and still keep all 5 chairs but maybe rotate a little more? I wouldn’t hate it.”
- “Sheryl needs an official seat next season”
When Is Alyssa Farah Griffin Expected To Return?
While some viewers would like nothing more than for the show to replace Alyssa Farah Griffin, the plan has always been for her to return at some point. At the time her maternity leave began, she said she would be gone for a few months.
Executive Producer Brian Teta recently said on the show’s podcast that she’ll be back “soon.” How soon? The show only has two previously announced guest co-hosts – Whitney Cummings and Abby Huntsman. Alyssa Farah Griffin could return to the ABC talk show in just a few more weeks. Tell us your thoughts on Sheryl Underwood in the comments.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
