The View will make television history when they unite all 11 co-hosts, both past and present, on Thursday, May 15.
The show will be a celebration of the show’s creator Barbara Walters. This show will air the day before Walters is to bid farewell after more than five decades of entertaining and informing generations of Americans. Walters is the only remaining co-host from the original panel of five women she helped assemble. She will continue to have an active role behind-the-scenes as executive producer along with executive producer Bill Geddie. The two have been producing partners for more than 25 years.
The reunion will have journalist Meredith Vieira, lawyer Star Jones, comedian Joy Behah, television personality Debbie Matenopoulos, journalist Lisa Ling, comedian Rosie O’Donnell, and cable news host Elisabeth Hasselbeck. They will join the current hosts Sherri Shepherd, Jenny McCarthy, Whoopi Goldberg and Walters.
“Barbara Walters’ status as a trailblazer, a legend and an icon are undeniable,” said Paul Lee, president, ABC Entertainment. “By creating a talk show panel with multiple hosts she changed the daytime landscape with a concept that is now widely emulated. It’s a true testament to her legacy. We are grateful to her and recognize her enormous contribution to ABC Entertainment and the indelible mark she has left on television.”
The View first aired in August of 1997 and at the time was unlike any other program on TV. It centered on a female panel of dynamic women of different ages, experiences and backgrounds. They shared their points of view and discussed the hottest topics of the day. Since last May when Walters announced her retirement, the show has been celebrating her achievements and will commemorate Walters’ final week from May 12-16 with ABC: A Barbara Celebration.
ABC and Ms. Walters’ Barwall Productions produce The View. Mark Gentile directs.
Below is a list of past and current hosts:
Meredith Vieira (moderator, 1997–2006, Season 1–9)
Star Jones (1997-2006, Season 1–9)
Joy Behar (1997–2013, Season 1–16)
Debbie Matenopoulos (1997-1998, Season 1-2)
Lisa Ling (1999–2002, Season 2–6)
Elisabeth Hasselbeck (2003–2013, Season 7–16)
Rosie O’Donnell (moderator, 2006–2007, Season 10)
Whoopi Goldberg (moderator, 2007, Season 11–Present)
Sherri Shepherd (2007, Season 11–Present)
Jenny McCarthy (2013, Season 17–Present)