The future of “The View” co-host Elisabeth Hasselback is up in the air. According to two sources familiar with the matter, Hasselbeck will not be returning to the daytime program next season.
In a statement, a spokesperson for “The View” tells TVNewser, “Elisabeth Hasselbeck is a valued member of ‘The View’ and has a long term contract.”
When pressed on whether she would be returning next season, the spokesperson replied, “she has a long term contract.”
A contract certainly provides job security for talent, but as has been shown over and over (see Conan O’Brien vs. NBC), if someone wants there to be changes, changes can and will happen.
Hasselbeck has been a panelist on “The View” since 2003. She has served as a game foil to her co-hosts, representing not only a younger generation of women, but also serving as the show’s resident Republican. Given that the program routinely features discussions about politics, and interviews with newsmakers, she often made her political opinions known.
The news of Hasselbeck’s possible departure comes less than 24 hours after Joy Behar revealed that she will be leaving the show after more than 16 years at the end of the season. Co-creator Barbara Walters is the lone original host. The other co-hosts are Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepherd.