Why Meghan McCain Is Really Leaving The View
News broke before the July 1, 2021 episode of "The View" even aired that Meghan McCain would announce live that she's leaving the show at the end of the month. The Daily Mail reported that her co-hosts didn't even know she was planning to make this move.
When McCain did make her official announcement, she explained her reasons for leaving the show she's co-hosted since 2017.
"This was not an easy decision," she said, according to ABC7. "It took a lot of thought and counsel and prayer and talking to my family and my close friends and you know, look, COVID has changed the world for all of us and it changed the way—at least for me—the way I'm looking at life, the way I'm living my life, the way I want my life to look like."
She went on to explain that living in DC for the last year helped solidify where the next chapter in her life should be.
"I came to the D.C. area, which is where my husband and I have always split time, and it's where I grew up splitting time, and we have this incredible life here," she said. "We're surrounded by my family, his family, by friends, by this incredible support unit. And I think as any new mom knows, when I think about where I want Liberty to have, you know, her first steps and her first words, I just have this really wonderful life here."
ABC wanted Meghan to stay
ABC, the network where "The View" has aired since 1997 (via IMDb) reportedly tried to get Meghan McCain to stay, according to Page Six.
"ABC begged for her to stay [and] she said, 'No — I'm done! I'm not staying anymore,'" a source told Page Six. "They even offered a contributor role on ABC News, which she turned down." The insider added, "She's just had enough. She doesn't need it anymore—she really doesn't need it."
ABC did put out a statement after McCain's official announcement that states, "For the past four years, Meghan McCain has brought her fierce determination and vast political knowledge and experience to The View. She recently came to us with her decision to depart the show at the end of this season, a difficult choice that she made for her and her family that we respect and understand. We wish the best for Meghan as she plans her next chapter, and thank her for the passion and unique voice that she shared with us and our viewers each day."