Meghan McCain left The View years ago, but the dust hasn't settled. Honestly, it feels like every few months a new headline pops up where she’s taking a swing at her former colleagues or the show's producers. It's a weird, lingering feud that keeps the internet talking. People love the drama.
If you’ve watched even five minutes of the show during her tenure, you know it wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows. She was the lone conservative voice in a room full of veterans who didn't always appreciate her "princess of Arizona" energy. But the beef goes way deeper than just different voting records.
Why Meghan McCain Criticizes The View So Often
Most of the time, when Meghan McCain criticizes The View, she’s pointing at the culture. She calls it "toxic." That’s a heavy word, but she backs it up with specific, often painful memories.
The big one? The Joy Behar incident. It happened right after Meghan came back from maternity leave in 2021. She was struggling with postpartum anxiety—real, raw stuff. During a live segment, she made a joke about how much Joy must have missed her. Joy’s response was ice cold: "I did not miss you. Zero."
McCain says she went backstage and cried. Then she vomited. It sounds dramatic, but for a new mom trying to find her footing, that kind of public rejection is brutal. She felt like a shark had smelled blood in the water.
The Malfeasance Accusation
Fast forward to late 2024 and early 2025. The criticism shifted from personal feelings to political "malfeasance." After the 2024 election, McCain went off on X (formerly Twitter). She was furious that ABC didn't have a single woman on the panel who actually voted for Donald Trump to explain his popularity.
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She basically argued that the show has become an echo chamber. To her, having Alyssa Farah Griffin—a conservative who voted for Harris—in the "conservative seat" is a joke. She thinks it's a disservice to the millions of women in middle America who feel totally ignored by the "Upper West Side" elite.
The Wealth Gap and the "Rot"
Meghan recently started talking about the "rot in media" on her podcast, Citizen McCain. She recalled a heated meeting where she literally yelled at her co-hosts to start talking to people who don't make $100,000 a year.
- She claims the hosts are out of touch.
- She mentions them taking Teslas to the Hamptons while ignoring minimum wage workers.
- She views the show as "rigged" to avoid topics that make Democrats look bad.
It’s a specific kind of bitterness. She feels she was cast as the "villain" for four years just for having the "wrong" opinions.
The Fallout with Alyssa Farah Griffin
The tension isn't just with the old guard like Whoopi or Joy. It’s also with the new people. In early 2025, McCain took a public swipe at Alyssa Farah Griffin over her criticism of Tulsi Gabbard.
McCain called her former colleagues "vultures." She claimed they were "scared" of Gabbard during a 2020 interview. It’s interesting because McCain and Gabbard are actually friends now, showing how the political lines have blurred. But the core of the issue is that McCain sees her replacement as a "surrogate" for the establishment rather than a true conservative voice.
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Is There Any Truth to the "Toxic" Claims?
It’s complicated. If you ask Sunny Hostin or Whoopi Goldberg, they’ll say the show is a professional environment where they debate the news of the day. They’ve survived dozens of co-hosts over 25+ years.
But McCain isn't the only one who has left with a bad taste in her mouth.
- Jenny McCarthy has called the environment "terrifying."
- Sherri Shepherd has alluded to the high-pressure backstage vibes.
- Rosie O'Donnell famously clashed with everyone.
The show is built on conflict. That's the brand. When you put five opinionated women in a room and tell them to fight for the "Hot Topic," things are going to get messy. For McCain, that messiness turned into what she describes as "purposeful hostility."
What Most People Get Wrong
A lot of viewers think Meghan just likes to complain. And sure, she has a platform and she uses it. But if you look at the timeline, the shift happened when she became a mother. Her perspective changed.
She realized that the "tough girl" act she’d been putting on wasn't sustainable in a workplace that felt like a battlefield. She’s not asking for sympathy—she’s made that clear—but she is demanding a "reckoning" for how conservative women are treated in mainstream media.
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The Legal Threats and the "Crazy Old People"
Recently, things got even nastier. McCain threatened to sue some of her former colleagues for defamation. She claims they "slander" her on a weekly basis. She even referred to them as "crazy old people" who are obsessed with her.
"I go whole swaths of time without thinking about them," she said on her podcast. "Apparently, I'm just on their minds every day. And it's pathetic."
The reality is probably somewhere in the middle. The show occasionally references her because she was a major part of its history during a very polarized time in America. And she talks about the show because it’s a significant part of her brand. It’s a symbiotic relationship, even if both sides hate it.
Actionable Takeaways for the Viewer
If you’re trying to navigate the drama, keep these things in mind:
- Context Matters: Much of the current heat stems from the 2024 election results and the perceived "liberal bias" of daytime TV.
- Media Literacy: Understand that The View is entertainment first, news second. The conflict is intentional.
- Follow the Sources: If you want the full story, listen to McCain’s podcast, Citizen McCain, alongside the live broadcasts of The View. The truth usually lies in the gap between the two narratives.
The feud isn't ending anytime soon. As long as the political divide in the U.S. remains this sharp, Meghan McCain will continue to be the loudest critic of the table she once sat at.
To stay informed on this ongoing media battle, track the guest lists on The View and compare them to the topics McCain covers on her weekly podcast episodes. This gives the best picture of which "Hot Topics" are being ignored by one side and emphasized by the other.