The View 2025: 6 Shocking Controversies And The Full Host Panel For Season 29

The View remains one of the most powerful and polarizing forces in American daytime television, and as of December 11, 2025, the iconic talk show is well into its 29th season, continuing its legacy of fiery, multi-generational debate. Created by broadcast journalist Barbara Walters in 1997, the panel show has always aimed to bring together women from diverse backgrounds—often with conflicting political and social viewpoints—to discuss the day's "Hot Topics."

The current iteration of the panel is arguably one of its most politically charged, featuring a mix of comedian, lawyer, journalist, and political strategist perspectives. While the show returned for its new season on September 8, 2025, with a confirmed lineup, the drama both on-screen and behind the scenes—from high-profile legal threats to internal network pressure—has kept it firmly in the news cycle, proving that after nearly three decades, *The View* is still a must-watch cultural lightning rod.

The Confirmed Panel: A Complete Biography of The View's Current Hosts

For the 29th season, the panel has remained stable, featuring six dynamic co-hosts who bring a wide spectrum of experience and opinion to the table. ABC confirmed that the entire roster would be returning, ensuring the continuation of the show's signature unpredictable debates.

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Whoopi Goldberg: The Moderator and EGOT Winner

• Full Name: Caryn Elaine Johnson
• Born: November 13, 1955, in New York City.
• Key Role on The View: Primary Moderator.
• Career Highlights: One of the few entertainers to achieve EGOT status (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards). She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in *Ghost*. Goldberg joined *The View* in 2007, taking the moderator seat and providing a calm, albeit often firm, hand to guide the "Hot Topics" segment.

Joy Behar: The Original Comedian and Long-Time Host

• Full Name: Josephine Victoria Occhiuto (Joy Behar)
• Born: October 7, 1942, in Brooklyn, New York.
• Key Role on The View: Comedian and Liberal Voice.
• Career Highlights: A stand-up comedian and actress, Behar is the only host to have been on the panel continuously since the show's 1997 debut, with a brief hiatus between 2013 and 2015. She is known for her caustic wit, razor-sharp sarcasm, and unflinching liberal commentary.

Sunny Hostin: The Legal and Social Justice Analyst

• Full Name: Asunción "Sunny" Cummings Hostin
• Born: October 20, 1968, in New York.
• Key Role on The View: Legal Analyst and Progressive Voice.
• Career Highlights: A three-time Emmy Award-winner, attorney, and author, Hostin has served as a co-host since 2016. Prior to *The View*, she was an ABC News Legal Analyst and a federal prosecutor. Her commentary often focuses on legal, social justice, and civil rights issues.

Sara Haines: The Journalist and Pop Culture Bridge

• Full Name: Sara Hilary Haines
• Born: September 18, 1977, in Newton, Iowa.
• Key Role on The View: Journalist and Centrist Voice.
• Career Highlights: Haines is a journalist who previously worked for NBC's *Today* show before joining ABC News in 2013. She has had two tenures on *The View*, returning in 2020. She often serves as a bridge between the more polarizing political positions on the panel, bringing a more journalistic and lifestyle focus.

Ana Navarro: The Republican Strategist and Political Contributor

• Full Name: Ana Navarro
• Born: 1971, in Nicaragua.
• Key Role on The View: Republican Strategist and Political Contributor.
• Career Highlights: Navarro is a well-known Republican political strategist who immigrated to the United States from Nicaragua in 1980. She is a prominent political commentator for CNN and CNN en Español, and became a permanent co-host on *The View* in 2022 after years as a recurring guest host. She provides a conservative yet often anti-Trump perspective.

Alyssa Farah Griffin: The Young Conservative Voice

• Full Name: Alyssa Farah Griffin
• Key Role on The View: Conservative Strategist.
• Career Highlights: A former White House Director of Strategic Communications during the Trump administration, Farah Griffin is a political strategist and CNN political commentator. She joined the panel in 2022 and is the youngest of the current hosts, providing a conservative viewpoint often rooted in her Washington, D.C. experience.

Network Pressure and High-Stakes Legal Battles

While the panel debates are often heated, the biggest recent updates for *The View* have centered on the high-level controversies and internal network pressures that threaten its long-standing format. The current climate has led to significant behind-the-scenes drama, turning the show itself into a "Hot Topic."

The "Softer Content" Mandate and Producer Tensions

Reports emerged in late 2024 and early 2025 suggesting that network producers and executives were demanding "softer content" and a reduction in the show's intense focus on politics. This alleged mandate was reportedly an effort to broaden the audience and reduce the risk of on-air flare-ups that could lead to negative press or, more critically, legal threats. The hosts themselves have occasionally alluded to this pressure on air; Joy Behar once jokingly called out Executive Producer Brian Teta for running "a dictatorship" after he interrupted Whoopi Goldberg during a segment, highlighting the tension between the panelists' desire for unvarnished debate and the network's desire for a smoother broadcast.

The push for less aggressive content was particularly aimed at toning down attacks on conservative figures, including former President Donald Trump.

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The Jimmy Kimmel, FCC, and "Equal Time" Controversy

One of the most significant and recent controversies involving *The View* was its connection to the suspension of ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel's show. Following the suspension of *Jimmy Kimmel Live!*, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) suggested that *The View* itself could be subjected to the "equal time" rule. This rule requires broadcasters to offer equivalent airtime to all legally qualified political candidates if they provide it to one.

The suggestion was based on the increasingly political nature of *The View's* "Hot Topics" segment, especially in the run-up to the 2024 election. The panel eventually addressed the situation, with Whoopi Goldberg expressing hope that Kimmel would be able to return to the air soon. The incident underscored the unique position of *The View* as a daytime talk show that functions more like a political news panel, blurring the lines of broadcast regulation.

Legal Threats, Defamation Suits, and The View's Enduring Legacy

The show's polarizing nature has made it a frequent target of legal action and threats, contributing to its status as a high-risk, high-reward program for ABC. The most publicized legal threats in the last year have involved two of the world's most prominent and controversial figures: Elon Musk and Donald Trump.

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The Elon Musk Defamation Lawsuit Threat

In a development that captured significant media attention, *The View* faced threats of an $80 million defamation lawsuit related to comments made about tech magnate Elon Musk. While the full details remain contentious and often sensationalized in the media, the threat stems from the panelists' on-air discussions about Musk and his public behavior. The possibility of such a high-stakes legal battle highlights the financial and reputational risks the network takes every time the hosts engage in their signature, unscripted debates.

Donald Trump and the Constant Legal Shadow

Former President Donald Trump has been a recurring "Hot Topic" and a frequent source of controversy for the show. Reports of a potential defamation suit from Trump have shadowed the show after certain panelists made highly critical and unsubstantiated comments about him on air. The continuous, often heated criticism of Trump by the majority-liberal panel is a key driver of the show's ratings but also a major source of the network's legal anxiety, which directly ties back to the reported demand for "softer" political content.

The Enduring Legacy of Barbara Walters

Despite the controversies, *The View* continues to thrive, now in its 29th season, a testament to the groundbreaking vision of its creator, Barbara Walters. Walters, who passed away in 2022, aimed to create a space where women could discuss "Hot Topics"—from sociopolitical news to entertainment—without the constraints of traditional news formats.

The original panel, which included Walters, Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, Debbie Matenopoulos, and Joy Behar, set the standard for the show's multi-generational, diverse-opinion format. Today, the show continues to be a crucial stop for major celebrity and political guests, often setting the narrative for the day's political discourse. The recent launch of "The Weekend View" on ABC News Live, which promises a less political and more extended "Hot Topics" segment, signals the network's attempt to expand the brand while keeping the weekday show's core, volatile appeal intact.

Ultimately, the biggest takeaway from *The View*'s 29th season is that its success is intrinsically linked to its controversies. The panel's ability to generate headlines, whether through a fiery debate, a network mandate, or a major legal threat, ensures its survival as the most talked-about hour in daytime television. The show's enduring topical authority is a direct result of its willingness to wade into the most sensitive and current issues of the day.