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By H. Alan Scott
Senior Editor
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The FCC is coming for the ladies of The View.
On Wednesday, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr told reporters he's "taking a look at" potential violations stemming from the show's recent interviews with Rep. Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico, both Democratic candidates in a Texas U.S. Senate primary. The issue falls under the FCC's Equal Time Rule, which requires broadcasters to offer equal airtime to political candidates—the same rule currently at the center of a separate dispute involving Stephen Colbert.
It's no secret that the hosts of The View are not exactly fans of President Trump. (Moderator Whoopi Goldberg won't even say his name.) And the show's token conservative, Alyssa Farah Griffin—a former Trump administration official—has been consistently critical of the former president since the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. So sure, on the surface, the frustration from the administration is understandable.
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But ‘frustrated’ and ‘right’ are two different things, and the FCC's case doesn't hold up as well when you actually look at the show's track record.
Take their most recent guest co-host: Savannah Chrisley, daughter of Chrisley Knows Best stars Todd and Julie Chrisley. Savannah is an outspoken Trump supporter who spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention, and her vocal advocacy is widely credited with influencing Trump's decision to pardon her parents following their convictions for tax fraud and bank fraud. Her appearance on The View outraged plenty of people on social media, and yet she's still there, filling in for Griffin all week.
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That's not exactly a show running from conservative voices. And it's not a new development either. Over the years, The View has welcomed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jeanine Pirro, and famously had Meghan McCain as a co-host for years, a tenure that was, to put it charitably, not without tension.
Is The View left-leaning? Absolutely. It's an opinionated news program and it has never pretended otherwise. But here's what the administration's frustration conveniently ignores: the show works. The most recent season premiere delivered the best ratings in five years. ABC isn't airing The View as a political favor—they're airing it because it makes money. A lot of it.
Which raises an obvious question: if conservative television is hungry for a platform, what's stopping another network from creating a right-leaning counterpart to The View? The answer, almost certainly, is the ratings data. Daytime TV is a lucrative business, and if the numbers show that what The View is doing moves the needle, networks are going to keep doing it. That's not ideology, that's capitalism.
As for the FCC violations themselves? They're unlikely to go very far. The First Amendment offers The View substantial protection, and the show has survived nearly 30 years and more than a few storms. A little regulatory scrutiny isn't exactly the end of the world.
The ladies of The View have been here before. They'll be fine while taking a little time to enjoy the view.
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