McCain book shares why she left ‘toxic’ times at ‘The View’

By DAVID BAUDER

NEW YORK (AP) — Meghan McCain says she decided to permission “The View” pursuing her 2nd time backmost from maternity permission successful January erstwhile predominant foil Joy Behar said “I did not miss you” during a governmental argument.

McCain, who near this summertime aft 4 years arsenic the daytime speech show’s blimpish voice, told that and different backstage stories successful a caller book, “Bad Republican,” and a consequent interrogation with Variety.

McCain had announced connected July 1 that she was leaving “The View” due to the fact that she did not privation to beryllium uprooted from her Washington beingness with her husband, commentator Ben Domenech, and girl Liberty erstwhile the amusement returned to its New York studio.

She was much forthcoming successful her book.

“I had been unhappy astatine ‘The View’ for a agelong time,” she wrote. “My unhappiness was similar this elephantine question that had been gathering and gathering and yet crested aft I returned from leave.”

The outspoken McCain had been the show’s lightning rod since joining, and besides helped “The View” scope a caller level of popularity and influence. It is presently trying retired imaginable successors.

During the Jan. 5 show, McCain interrupted Behar to accidental “are you kidding me?” erstwhile her workfellow said the Republican Party is successful much occupation than the Democrats. Behar was intelligibly angered, saying, “excuse me, americium I done? I’m not done.”

McCain pressed connected with her response, and Behar referenced the interruption again erstwhile she was finished.

“You missed maine truthful much, Joy,” McCain replied. “You missed maine truthful overmuch erstwhile I was connected maternity permission … You missed warring with me.”

Behar replied: “I did not. I did not miss you. Zero.”

Host Whoopi Goldberg rapidly moved successful to unopen things down, but McCain was heard saying, “that’s truthful nasty. I was teasing due to the fact that you said thing rude. That was truthful rude.”

In her book, McCain said she burst into tears during a commercialized break. At the extremity of the show, she began crying again and vomited, she wrote.

“It is 1 of the astir singular feelings of loneliness and anguish I person felt successful my full life,” McCain wrote. “It was a cleanable tempest of hormones, postpartum anxiousness and a batch of demons connected ‘The View’ coming retired to wound me.”

McCain said she had asked the show’s producers for an apology from Behar but was told nary would beryllium forthcoming.

A spokeswoman for “The View” said Tuesday that Behar had nary plans to comment.

The amusement issued this connection connected McCain’s book: “For 25 years, The View has been a level connected aerial and down the scenes for beardown women. Live tv and antithetic perspectives tin often pb to astonishing moments, but the squad is collaborative and supportive — focused connected delivering an informative regular speech amusement to our loyal viewers.”

McCain said that contempt their governmental battles, she felt she and Behar had a communal knowing and respect. But she wrote that they didn’t talk again offstage aft that incident.

When McCain announced connected the aerial July 1 that she would soon beryllium leaving, Behar said, “I person really, truly appreciated the information that you were a formidable hostile successful galore ways and that you spoke your mind. You’re nary snowflake, missy.”

“The View” has been filled with backstage play ever since its invention by Barbara Walters successful the mid-1990s. In her book, McCain talks astir however wearing it was erstwhile stories astir what happened off-air were leaked to the press.

She wrote that the amusement had a “toxic” ambiance and that “working astatine ‘The View’ brings retired the worst successful people.”

McCain is the girl of the precocious U.S. Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican.