Last week, Meghan McCain shocked the world when she announced that she would be leaving ABC talk show “The View” at the end of this month. Now fans of “The View” are left wondering who will replace Meghan McCain.
While Meghan McCain’s departure surely came as a surprise to some, longtime fans of “The View” will be even more shocked to hear her possible replacement.
McCain currently serves as the lone conservative voice on the talk show.
Related: Meghan McCain Stresses The Importance Of Free Speech In This Age Of ‘Cancel Culture’
Now, sources say that executives are hoping to get Debbie Matenopoulos, an original cohost on the show, to be her replacement.
In 1997, Barbara premiered with four Co-Hosts on The View, with Meredith Vieira, Star Jones & Debbie Matenopoulos and Joy Behar filling in during Walters’ absences. In 2014 Walters retired from television journalism and remains an honorary Executive Producer on The View. pic.twitter.com/j58yXlwKiQ
— Stephanie James (@smpjames) March 15, 2021
ABC Executives Have Their Eye On Debbie Matenopoulos To Replace Meghan McCain
“Next year is our 25th season and we’re considering Debbie Matenopoulos making a triumphant return to ‘The View,'” a source told Daily Mail.
When “The View” first started airing back in 1997, Matenopoulos was one of the original cohosts alongside Barbara Walters, Meredith Vieira, Star Jones and Joy Behar, who is still on the panel.
While Meghan announced last week, the source suggested that another host may be leaving the talk show as well.
“While we need to fill the seat that Meghan has vacated, there may be another change coming that we need to plan for. But Debbie would be the perfect fit for our anniversary season,” the insider said.
Original ‘The View’ Cohost Has More Experience In Television Now
Though Debbie left “The View” after only two seasons, she has guest-hosted periodically since then, and a recent guest appearance of hers on another talk show caught the eyes of ABC executives.
“Debbie’s recent guest co-hosting of The Talk has not gone unnoticed at ABC and it would make sense to scoop her up,” said the source. “Debbie got such a raw deal when she was cast 24 years ago – she was only 21 and had no real life experience.”
“Yet over the past 20 plus years she has blossomed, she’s married, has a child, is a successful television host and she now could hold her own at The View’s table, day after day,” the insider continued.
Debbie Matenopoulos Helped Put ‘The View’ On The Map
The source went on to explain that ABC executives credit original cohost Debbie Matenopoulos as one of the people who first put “The View” on the map:
“Ratings struggled in those first two years that Debbie was at The View, but SNL took notice of the dynamic between Debbie and the other women and their The View skits became must viewing on Saturday nights. SNL’s audience would then take a peek at The View to see Debbie and the other ladies in action on the show and The View’s audience began to grow,’ they said.
“Those of us that were here in the Barbara days remember how Barbara was image-obsessed and she couldn’t function when the show was being made fun of on SNL. We were all convinced she had PTSD from the days when the brilliant Gilda Radner played Baba Wawa and mercilessly mocked her speech impediment. Barbara blamed Debbie, so Debbie had to go.”
“We all laughed along with Debbie when she owned the moment and guest starred as herself on SNL after leaving The View, by making fun of the entire situation,” the insider continued.
“Debbie has also returned to the show over the years and it’s always been fun to have her back,” the source concluded. “It would be a great blast from the past and Debbie certainly has the experience and wit to return to the table and reclaim her seat.”
Who Is Debbie Matenopoulos?
In 2013, sixteen years after her start on “The View”, Matenopoulos sat down with Oprah Winfrey sat down to discuss her run as a co-host on the popular daytime show.
At the time, she called it the most amazing job she’d ever had. That certainly sounds like a good reason for Matenopoulos to be interested in a comeback.
It’s fun to see the now 46-year-old TV host ponder what she would say to her 22-year-old self.
You can watch Debbie Matenopoulos’ interview with Oprah Winfrey below.
No doubt it would be interesting to see Debbie Matenopoulos return as cohost on “The View” after so many years.
Read Next: Joy Behar’s Crass Sex Joke About First Openly Gay NFL Player Makes Viewers Cringe
More About:Celebrity Entertainment