Author: Erin Carlson

Jenny McCarthy

After much media buzz, Jenny McCarthy has been officially sworn in as a regular panelist on ABC’s The View, filling one of two openings created by the departures of Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Joy Behar.

Behar follows Hasselbeck out the door when her contract ends next month; the latter bid farewell Wednesday as she prepares to embark on a new gig on Fox News Channel’s Fox & Friends this fall.

As THR previously reported, McCarthy, 40, was in serious talks to join The View as a co-host for the talk show’s upcoming 17th season.

PHOTOS: A New ‘View’: 15 Possible Panelists to Fill the Empty Seats

“We are delighted that Jenny will be joining us as a permanent co-host on The View starting in September,” Barbara Walters said Monday in a statement. “Jenny brings us intelligence as well as warmth and humor. She can be serious and outrageous. She has connected with our audience and offers a fresh point of view. Jenny will be a great addition to the show as we usher in an exciting new chapter of The View.”

Said McCarthy: “I’m beyond thrilled to be joining Barbara and the other amazing women at the table. I look forward to making hot topics a little bit hotter, and showing my mom that my interrupting skills have paid off.”

McCarthy finished a run fronting her own talk show on VH1 last May.

When Hasselbeck finally announced her long-rumored departure, Walters, the show’s co-creator and executive producer, noted that the show was in no rush to replace the love-her-or-loathe-her mother of three.  “We have plenty of guest hosts and we¹re going to take our time,” said Walters, 83. “We are not going to be filling it very soon.”

Although The View remains one of the top-rated daytime programs on TV, the chatfest has seen its audience slip in recent years; this season it has declined in the double-digits among total viewers and women in the 25-54 demographic, upon which the majority of daytime programming is sold to advertisers.

And a market research study commissioned earlier this season by ABC execs showed that viewers were turned off by the political debates that have characterized the show, especially during the era when liberal Rosie O’Donnell and conservative Hasselbeck regularly argued on the air. The study also revealed that Hasselbeck and Behar were deemed too “polarizing,” a source told THR.

Email: Erin.Carlson@THR.com

Twitter: @ErinLCarlson

Elisabeth Hasselbeck

Elisabeth Hasselbeck ended her 10-year tenure on The View with a tearful tribute to her fellow panelists as well as the crew behind the scenes of the ABC chatfest.

“I’m really happy,” said a misty-eyed Hasselbeck, going on to thank executive producer Bill Geddie for “really challenging me to be my best.” 

“The past 10 years have been nothing short of extraordinary,” she raved.

As previously reported, the departing View co-host is headed to Fox News Channel, where she will join the panel of Fox & Friends in September.

Hasselbeck — surrounded by Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar and show creator Barbara Walters – heaped much praise upon the trio and panelist Sherri Shepherd, who was not present for Wednesday’s broadcast. The 36-year-old mother of three, whose politics skew rightward, said she had an “insane amount of respect” for the relatively liberal Behar, with whom she has sparred on the air. 

STORY: Elisabeth Hasselbeck Leaves ‘The View’ for Fox News Channel

Meanwhile, she gushed over Goldberg, saying: “You are walking unconditional love” and “one of the most talented artists on the planet.” Of Walters, Hasselbeck declared, “I can’t ask for a better leader and mentor.”

She credited Walters, who recently announced she will retire next year, for teaching her the technique of interviewing. As a result of her experience with the TV news icon, “I felt prepared to interview presidential candidates” and “more than prepared and confident to move forward.”

Returning the compliments, Walters — whose eyes welled with tears for almost the entire telecast — said, “I’m a little teary, but I always want what’s best for you.” She then admitted, laughing: “I’m not happy that you’re going.”

“You always brought a fresh voice to the show, you stood by your opinions even when [the debate] got heated — that’s not an easy thing to do,” said Walters, informing viewers that The View would not be filling Hasselbeck’s seat anytime soon. 

Hasselbeck’s exit was expected as part of a View makeover that also sees the departure of Behar. Her jump to Fox & Friends has her teaming with current co-hosts Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade while Gretchen Carlson — who’s been with the program since 2006 — moves to her own one-hour daytime series to launch in early fall.

“Fox, gee, won’t you be a fish out of water there?” cracked Behar, praising Hasselbeck as “professional” and calling their on-air arguments “exciting.”

“I just think you’re the cat’s meow,” said Goldberg, chiming in. “You’ve been a really good friend to me, and I appreciate you. And, you know, may we both continue to grow.”

Email: Erin.Carlson@THR.com

Twitter: @ErinLCarlson

Elisabeth Hasselbeck

Elisabeth Hasselbeck ended her 10-year tenure on The View with a tearful tribute to her fellow panelists as well as the crew behind the scenes of the ABC chatfest.

“I’m really happy,” said a misty-eyed Hasselbeck, going on to thank executive producer Bill Geddie for “really challenging me to be my best.” 

“The past 10 years have been nothing short of extraordinary,” she raved.

As previously reported, the departing View co-host is headed to Fox News Channel, where she will join the panel of Fox & Friends in September.

Hasselbeck — surrounded by Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar and show creator Barbara Walters – heaped much praise upon the trio and panelist Sherri Shepherd, who was not present for Wednesday’s broadcast. The 36-year-old mother of three, whose politics skew rightward, said she had an “insane amount of respect” for the relatively liberal Behar, with whom she has sparred on the air. 

STORY: Elisabeth Hasselbeck Leaves ‘The View’ for Fox News Channel

Meanwhile, she gushed over Goldberg, saying: “You are walking unconditional love” and “one of the most talented artists on the planet.” Of Walters, Hasselbeck declared, “I can’t ask for a better leader and mentor.”

She credited Walters, who recently announced she will retire next year, for teaching her the technique of interviewing. As a result of her experience with the TV news icon, “I felt prepared to interview presidential candidates” and “more than prepared and confident to move forward.”

Returning the compliments, Walters — whose eyes welled with tears for almost the entire telecast — said, “I’m a little teary, but I always want what’s best for you.” She then admitted, laughing: “I’m not happy that you’re going.”

“You always brought a fresh voice to the show, you stood by your opinions even when [the debate] got heated — that’s not an easy thing to do,” said Walters, informing viewers that The View would not be filling Hasselbeck’s seat anytime soon. 

Hasselbeck’s exit was expected as part of a View makeover that also sees the departure of Behar. Her jump to Fox & Friends has her teaming with current co-hosts Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade while Gretchen Carlson — who’s been with the program since 2006 — moves to her own one-hour daytime series to launch in early fall.

“Fox, gee, won’t you be a fish out of water there?” cracked Behar, praising Hasselbeck as “professional” and calling their on-air arguments “exciting.”

“I just think you’re the cat’s meow,” said Goldberg, chiming in. “You’ve been a really good friend to me, and I appreciate you. And, you know, may we both continue to grow.”

Email: Erin.Carlson@THR.com

Twitter: @ErinLCarlson