After four years as a co-host on “The View,” Meghan McCain said goodbye to the ABC daytime show on Friday.
Her last day on the long-running chat show included discussions of whether or not it is justifiable to break off friendships over a refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19, a conversation with U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), a visit from McCain’s mother and nominee for US Ambassador to the UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture Cindy McCain, and a special sendoff message from former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. The show also offered a clip package of some of McCain’s biggest moments from her time on the series.
McCain closed out the show saying by thanking her co-hosts for her time on the show. “You women have been so incredible to work with. The crew, the producers, everyone works so hard,” she said. “And honestly, the audience giving me four years to give my opinion and show my perspective. This has been a really wild ride the past four years of my life. It’s been honestly the best of times and the worst of times in all ways on and off this show. It’s been a really incredible liberating experience. I will always cherish the time I spent with all of you.”
McCain first announced that she was leaving the show in July.
“I am here to tell all of you … that it is going to be my last season here at ‘The View;” McCain said at the time. “This was not an easy decision. COVID has changed the world for all of us. And it changed the way I’m living my life.” The news of her leaving came after McCain had moved to Washington D.C. during the pandemic, become a new mother to her baby Liberty and was filming the show remotely.
McCain added, “As any new mom knows, when I think of where I want Liberty to have her first steps, I have a really wonderful life here.”
McCain shared the panel with co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin and Sara Haines. She is the second longest running conservative to co-host the program after Elizabeth Hasselbeck, who was on “The View” from 2003-2013.
McCain, notorious for getting into passionate rounds with her fellow co-hosts as the show’s conservative talking head, has been the center of many viral and highly rated on air moments. McCain was also known for sharing memories about her father, former presidential candidate and celebrated Vietnam veteran, John McCain, who passed away in 2018 after a battle with brain cancer.
At the time of announcing her leave, McCain still had two years left of her contract. She asked ABC executives to release her from her deal, as she did not want to move back to New York City for in-person filming.