'The View' will tap Alyssa Farah Griffin as permanent co-host following Meghan McCain exit, sources say

ABC has chosen Alyssa Farah Griffin as the new permanent co-host of "The View" to fill Meghan McCain's vacant seat, sources familiar with the matter tell Fox News Digital. 

Griffin, who served in the Trump administration as a White House director of strategic communications, was one of several candidates who had served as a repeat guest host in a lengthy audition to become the sole "conservative" voice on the liberal daytime talk show.

A spokesperson for ABC News told Fox News Digital, "We do not have a co-host announcement to make at this time. Stay tuned." Fox News Digital also reached out to Griffin for comment. 

Reports previously indicated that she and Lincoln Project adviser Tara Setmayer were two of the finalists in the homestretch of the decision-making. 

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However, a source tells Fox News Digital that "a lot of people" at ABC wanted the job given to Ana Navarro, a frequent guest host of "The View," and suggested her candidacy was officially quashed following her controversial comments on CNN last month when she pointed to her own relatives with Down syndrome, autism and other disabilities to defend abortions following the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Some critics accused her of essentially promoting eugenics.

Another source told Fox News Digital that Navarro is "apoplectic" that she didn't get the job. Navarro is nominally a Republican but detests her party, openly supporting Democrats and imploring viewers to vote for them.

Fox News Digital reached out for comment to one of Navarro's representatives.

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Others who have sat in the vacant seat since McCain's departure include former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, former NBC Sports reporter Michele Tafoya and Daily Blast Live host Lindsey Granger. 

ABC was long searching for what's been described in reports as a conservative "unicorn" to fill the vacant seat, someone who has credibility among Republicans but who never promoted election fraud allegations following the 2020 presidential race.

Griffin resigned from the Trump White House in December 2020 and has been an outspoken critic of her former boss as well as Republicans broadly, particularly as a "The View" co-host and as a contributor on CNN. 

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Critics have accused her of betraying conservative principles and shifting her politics for convenience. She has defended her stances and said she has alienated her own family members with her turn against former President Trump.

Variety reported that ABC News will officially announce Griffin's new gig in the coming weeks ahead of the 26th season that will air in the fall. 

It is uncertain, however, whether Griffin can bring the same energy to the famed table of "The View" as her predecessor did.

Meghan McCain joined "The View" in October 2017 and was widely credited for juicing the show's ratings during the Trump era, particularly for her fiery exchanges with her liberal colleagues like Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg.

While she was no fan of Trump following his constant attacks on her late father, Arizona Sen. John McCain, she remained critical of Joe Biden — a longtime family friend — and liberal Democrats.

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McCain parted ways with "The View" a year ago, citing her family based in Washington, D.C., as a large motivator in her decision. 

In her memoir, McCain said she was the subject of "toxic, direct and purposeful hostility" by her liberal colleagues in front and behind the cameras. 

She is now a columnist for the Daily Mail.