When does ‘The View’ return for Season 23? And where did the co-hosts leave off?
Get ready for Season 23 of "The View."
ABC's panel show – with co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Meghan McCain, Sunny Hostin and Abby Huntsman – returns Tuesday.
Huntsman, who exited "Fox & Friends" and joined "The View" last year, welcomed twins in early June. She'll return for the season premiere.
Despite reports in July that McCain was considering moving on, she will join her co-hosts around the table for her third season on the show.
Let's review where things left off.
Meghan McCain and Joy Behar battle
The verbal scuffles between McCain and Behar can get heated, with both having differing political views. In June, the self-described "sacrificial Republican" had enough. While discussing one of President Donald Trump's rallies, she let a harsh word fly Behar's way: "Don’t feel bad for me, (expletive), I'm paid to do this."
Defending her choice of words, McCain said on the show that she and Behar refer to each other that way "all the time” and emphasized there was no bad blood despite the name-calling.
"... I just want everyone to stop being so precious about our relationship because it's almost 2020, and women can debate on TV in a spirited way without it being personal," she said. "And, I know this is a big shock, we get along backstage."
Joy Behar tells Meghan McCain not to 'have a hissy fit' in heated exchange on 'The View'
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Is 'The View' is taking its toll?
Being on the panel isn't always such a joy. In her squabble with Behar, McCain remarked her gig is "not a fun job for me every day." However, ABC confirmed to USA TODAY in July that McCain was expected to return for Season 23.
McCain opened up about her daytime gig in an interview with Elle, acknowledging she gets "boos" from the talk show audience.
"My presence on the show has been, ‘Nobody’s going to bully me, nobody’s going to talk down to me, and nobody’s going to pull the kind of (expletive) that’s been pulled on a lot of people in this chair. And I will be vocal, and I will live in the moment, for better or worse,’ ” McCain said, though she sees room for improvement. “I should be better at being less reactive.”
Goldberg expressed to The New York Times in an interview that published in July that "The View" doesn't fulfill her as an actress.
"What you’re asking is 'Is ‘The View’ enough?' " Goldberg said. "It’s not. Ten years is a long time, and now I’m starting to do other stuff."
She did tell the Times she is is able to do a form of acting while on the show.
"In a way, I am playing a role," she said. "These are not conversations that I’m having with my friends. If they were, we’d be doing it differently. My friends and I can talk about things in depth in a different way than you can on television."
However, Goldberg said that she gets fulfillment in that she is doing "anything."
"You can't create a career," she said. "It goes where it goes."
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Whoopi Goldberg's terrifying health scare
The comedian took a break from discussing Hot Topics to recover from pneumonia and sepsis, which struck earlier in the year. After being absent for several weeks, Goldberg gave viewers an update on her health in a recorded video on March 8.
Goldberg, 63, said the situation was very serious. "Yes, I came very, very close to leaving the Earth. Good news: I didn't."
In May, Goldberg told USA TODAY she was doing "much, much better" and that prayers and well-wishes from fans did wonders for her.
"It got me back up on my feet. I'm so grateful for all the attention," she said. "With pneumonia, you're supposed to cut out as much stuff as you can. … I'm trying not to overdo everything, but of course that's hard not to because I like working. It's been interesting (with) making sure that I go to the doctor when I know I don't feel good, which is something I didn't do."
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The hard-hitting 'Ladies Who Punch'
As if Hot Topics and co-host conflict weren't enough to deal with, a book filled with bombshells about behind-the-scenes drama dropped in April. "Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of 'The View,'" by Variety's New York bureau chief Ramin Setoodeh, created quite the commotion.
It reignited a feud between former co-hosts Rosie O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who both worked on the program during its 2006-2007 season. In the book, O'Donnell spoke of wanting to mentor her co-host and harboring "a little bit of a crush" that was "in no way sexualized." She also expressed her theory that "there are not many, in my life, girls with such athletic talent on sports teams that are traditionally male that aren’t at least a little bit gay."
Hasselbeck, who played softball in college, said as a guest on "The View" that it was "a lie" and "reckless" to ascribe sexuality to athleticism. “Just because you’re athletic doesn’t have anything to do with your sexual preference," she said. "It just doesn’t.”
After the book published, O'Donnell described her sit-down with Setoodeh as her "biggest regret."
Current co-hosts were also subjects in "Ladies Who Punch," which includes O'Donnell's belief that "the worst experience I've ever had on live television was interacting with (Goldberg)."
However, the "Ghost" actress said she "didn't care about the book," during a May appearance on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen."
Goldberg explained she chose not to sit down with Setoodeh because she believes what happens on the job should remain private.
"What happens for me at work is not for everybody; it's not their business," she said. "I don't like talking out of school, and I don't like other people talking out of school. So, for me, you just have to... leave it there.
"That's for me," she added. "I don't know about anybody else."
'Ladies Who Punch': The wild revelations about the drama on 'The View'
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Contributing: Cydney Henderson, Georgia Slater and Anika Reed
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'View': Meghan McCain, Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg back; what to know