Michelle Collins Fired From ‘The View’: Can This Show Get Its Act Together For Season 20?
Michelle Collins is the latest casualty of The View. The 34-year-old comedian has been cut from her co-host role on the ABC chatfest after one season, according to Variety.
While Michelle Collins survived a lengthy trial period on The View last summer, her popularity waned after she was named a permanent co-host last fall. By the time 2016 rolled around, Collins’ co-hosting role was cut to just a couple of appearances a week.
Insiders told Variety that ABC executives have decided not to renew Michelle’s contract. Michelle Collins is expected to appear on The View sporadically through the summer. A spokesperson for ABC said there has been no decision on who will replace Michelle Collins next season.
“Michelle is smart, opinionated and funny. She’s been a great addition to the panel this year. When we are ready to make an announcement about next season, we will.”
It’s clear that as The View tries to focus on more news-related Hot Topics, Michelle Collins’ knowledge of The Bachelorette was no longer a good fit. Collins also made headlines during her short stint on The View for criticizing nurses, and the show lost advertisers. Collins was later slammed for mocking Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina’s appearance, solidifying her as a risky pick for the co-host chair.
The View has had an unstable co-host lineup for several seasons now, with players like Rosie O’Donnell, Jenny McCarthy, Nicolle Wallace, and Rosie Perez making short-lived stints on the ever-changing panel.
With Michelle Collins now out, there’s no telling what other changes View producers plan to make. The fate of Raven-Symone could also be on the line, even though one week before Michelle’s axing, an ABC rep told E! News that they are “happy with the team we have.” (Clearly they were not.)
In addition to the Michelle Collins’ non-renewed contract, moderator Whoopi Goldberg’s contract is up in August. If Goldberg decides not to return, it could really put the show in jeopardy. Joy Behar, Paula Faris, and Candace Cameron-Bure will likely return, but they will be joined by at least one or two new faces.
Even before the Michelle Collins mistake, The View has been unable to find a co-hosts’ cast with the right chemistry, and with the show’s milestone 20th season set to debut later this year, the show could be running out of steam.
Rival daytime host Julie Chen has already gone on record as saying she thinks the show should be put out to pasture. Long before Michelle Collins and several other co-hosts didn’t work out, Chen told radio host Howard Stern that she told retired View creator Barbara Walters point blank that she should stay away from the show she founded.
Julie #Chen trashes The View, tells #Barbara #Walters to stay away http://t.co/rUQeGwZTSg pic.twitter.com/WFGI4PJBzK
— Jenkers News (ENG) (@jenkers_en) September 9, 2015
The Wrap revealed that last year Chen told Stern that Walters was “toying” with the idea of whether or not she should go back and try to save The View, and a panel of her peers warned her that the show is a lost cause. According to Chen, everyone in the meeting said: “‘Are you kidding me?’ Everyone told her, ‘Barbara, that ship has sailed. No one can turn it around. Stay away, it will only hurt your image.'”
Chen, who helms the Emmy-winning show The Talk on CBS, said, “The View is unrecognizable now.”
Michelle Collins has not yet commented on her firing from The View. Collins is currently vacationing in Europe, but surely her exit will be addressed upon her return or sometime later this summer.
As for the future of the ABC chatfest, it seems the show is running out of time to get the panel right. Fans will only forgive so many mistakes before they move on to another show.
Take a look at the video below to see Michelle Collins causing controversy on The View.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYYY9J28Tv4
[Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images]
