Meghan McCain Slams ‘The View’ in Explosive Column: “May the Bridges I Burn Light the Way”

Meghan McCain has stated that she has no interest in returning to The View, and says she felt validated when former co-host Rosie O’Donnell also criticized the talk show. 

During McCain’s time on the show — which lasted from 2018 through 2021 — she had several clashes with her co-hosts Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, Ana Navarro and Sara Haines.

She most often sparred with Goldberg and Behar. McCain was also accused of spoiling the Game of Thrones series finale in 2019.

Now, McCain is a columnist for The Daily Mail, where she recently published an explosive column about the ABC talk show. “There is nothing on God’s green earth that could convince me to ever walk on to that set again,” she wrote. 

McCain said she feels validated when other former co-hosts criticize the show. Most recently, O’Donnell complained about having to “argue and defend basic principles of humanity and kindness” on an episode of Brooke Shields‘ podcast.

At the time, O’Donnell said, “It was not something that I would ever do again.”

Throughout the column, McCain commented on O’Donnell’s accusations and claied she faced similar turmoil. The conservative pundit wrote, “Now, Rosie O’Donnell and I probably don’t agree on much. But here we’re in sync.”

Citing O’Donnell and Jenny McCarthy as examples, McCain stated that she’s “never actually heard an ex-host have anything positive to say” and added, “As for me – may the bridges I burn light the way.”

On the podcast, O’Donnell claimed that Goldberg would keep certain topics from being discussed on the show, such as the rape allegations surrounding Bill Cosby. “If what Rosie claims is true, this is extremely troubling,” wrote McCain. “Whoopi’s belief in due process and change of heart isn’t the problem. The problem is when powerful people with a platform use their megaphones to protect their interests. And it rang true to me.”

Additionally, McCain wrote that show producers kept her form talking about “newsworthy” topics because they might dredge up past controversies for the other co-hosts. She alleged that she couldn’t talk about Gov. Ralph Northam’s 2019 scandal after he was caught wearing blackface in high school. She claimed the reasoning was because “around the same time as the revelation about Northam, an old picture emerged showing Behar wearing makeup to darken her skin for a Halloween costume in the 1970s.”

She said that it could also have repercussions for Goldberg, as her ex Ted Danson appeared in blackface at a 1993 Friars Club roast.

McCaine concluded her report by saying, “The only way to survive on that show is to be vanilla pudding. Say nothing controversial with the elites, bow down, and don’t actually do the job you were hired to do, which is voice your authentic opinions.”

Comparing herself to O’Donnell, she added, “She, like me, is a strong, controversial woman who makes no apologies for her beliefs. This is something that should be celebrated and not punished.”

McCain was replaced on The View with former White House communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin and political commentator Ana Navarro.

The View airs weekdays at 11/10c on ABC.