Meghan McCain to quit ‘The View’
McCain regularly feuds with liberal co-hosts
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Meghan McCain will announce on Thursday that she is walking away from her role as the token conservative on ABC News’ "The View."
"It was her decision," a person close to McCain told Fox News.
McCain is expected to explain her decision to viewers during Thursday’s program and has been hesitant to provide details even to her closest friends. The news was first reported by the Daily Mail and has been confirmed by Fox News.
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McCain regularly feuds with her liberal co-hosts. She had her first child with husband Ben Domenech last year.
"We have tried to keep her, but she is adamant that now is the right time for her to leave," a source from ABC News' parent company, Disney, told the Daily Mail.
McCain and "The View" did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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The Daily Mail reported she will announce her exit on Thursday and depart the program at the end of July with two years remaining on her contract.
The outspoken 36-year-old joined the daytime gabfest in 2017 and has emerged as a prominent conservative voice in the media landscape. She regularly feuds with liberal colleagues Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar and Sunny Hostin on air.
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The Daily Mail reported that Goldberg, Behar and Hostin were kept in the dark about her decision to exit the show. Other co-hosts such as Sara Haines and Ana Navarro were also "not yet aware that Meghan has resigned" as of Thursday morning, according to the report.
McCain’s role as the show’s token conservative often leads to criticism from the show’s largely liberal audience. Everything from her political viewpoints to her hairstyles have been attacked and she even had to defend her makeup choices earlier this year.
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"People have a lot to say about me in general but in regards to my hair and makeup," McCain tweeted on Feb. 25. "I'm just having fun switching up, playing around and experimenting."
McCain, the daughter of late Sen. John McCain, filled the role of the program’s conservative voice that was previously occupied by Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Candace Cameron Bure, among others. Last year McCain stepped away from the show for maternity leave and program lacked diversity of thought as Behar and her fellow progressives typically agreed on the topics du jour.
It didn’t take long for the panel to revert back to bickering when they didn’t see eye to eye upon McCain’s January return.
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"I did not miss you," Behar said during a nasty argument on McCain’s first day back.
"That’s so rude," McCain shot back.
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McCain and Goldberg have also sparred in recent months, with the program regularly erupting into chaotic on-air quarrels.