Donald Trump Jr. wasted no time celebrating the news that “The View” is going on hiatus. Just hours after Joy Behar revealed the talk show only had one more episode before its summer break, Trump Jr. declared it “a major win for humanity and common sense” in a post on X. The moment was clearly ripe for mockery, as longtime critics of the show seized on its faltering direction and declining influence.
Behar’s announcement was awkward and seemingly unscripted, prompting co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin to quip, “Too late now,” after Behar let the news slip mid-broadcast. Whoopi Goldberg later confirmed the show would return in September, but not before leaving audiences wondering what’s behind the sudden “hiatus” and allusions to change.
A White House spokesperson added fuel to the fire, taking a direct shot at Behar herself: “Joy Behar is an irrelevant loser suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.” The statement blamed “The View’s” record-low ratings on its obsessive anti-Trump commentary, adding, “She should self-reflect on her own jealousy of President Trump’s historic popularity before her show is the next to be pulled off-air.”
Trump Jr. echoed those sentiments with biting sarcasm. He framed the show’s break as symbolic of a broader shift in the media environment, where once-powerful gatekeepers like “The View” are losing their grip. “Look, it’s entirely possible that there’s issues over there,” he said in a follow-up appearance. “And stepping back, this broader dynamic—once President Trump has exposed these media gatekeepers and smashed this facade—there’s a lot of consequences.”
The consequences, he argued, are still unfolding.
Adding to the show’s turmoil is a report from the Daily Beast, which revealed that Disney and ABC executives recently urged the hosts to tone down their relentless political attacks. CEO Bob Iger and ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic allegedly met with the cast and executive producer to push for less divisive content, favoring high-rating celebrity interviews over partisan brawls.
“They were basically told to knock it off,” one insider said, describing how executives wanted the show to “lean into lighter, more entertaining segments.”
Unsurprisingly, that suggestion didn’t sit well with the co-hosts. Ana Navarro, in particular, pushed back hard, insisting their audience expects political commentary and that dialing it down would look like surrender.
“This is what our audience wants,” Navarro reportedly said. “Isn’t it gonna look kind of bad if we’re all of a sudden not talking about politics?”
But ratings tell a different story. The show hit record lows last year, suggesting that even its loyal viewers may be burned out on the endless outrage cycle. And with rival media increasingly capitalizing on the shift away from left-wing talking points, even once-untouchable shows like “The View” are feeling the pressure to adapt—or vanish.
For critics like Trump Jr., that shift isn’t just satisfying—it’s long overdue. The View’s absence from airwaves, even temporarily, is being treated as symbolic of a broader media reckoning. Whether the show survives its revamp remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: its fiercest opponents aren’t wasting a moment celebrating the silence.
