The View hyped Friday’s interview with Vice President Kamala Harris as “historic.” It now will go down as one of the most surreal moments in daytime TV history.
Two co-hosts — Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro — were pulled from the stage on live TV. The pair tested positive for Covid-19. The results came in just before Harris was set to start the interview.
Joy Behar, who was the moderator for Friday’s The View episode, was updated on what was unfolding in real-time. So she was as perplexed as the audience watching from the studio and at home. She said the show did everything it could to protect Harris. The vice president did do the interview, but remotely and from another part of the studio.
“I hope that you are in a safe spot right now,” Behar told Harris when she appeared on the screen. “We did everything we could to make sure that you were safe because we value you so much.”
Behar and Sara Haines were the two remaining co-hosts for The View who still were able to interview Harris.
Here’s a clip of the instant TV history:
Families of Both The View Co-Hosts Were Impacted by Covid
All the women of The View are vaccinated. According to CDC guidelines, vaccinated people do not need to quarantine at home if they’re exposed to someone with the virus and show no symptoms. The CDC also recommends that if you’re exposed, get tested within five days. It’s unclear if Navarro or Hostin interacted with Harris before the show.
The families of both Hostin and Navarro were hit particularly hard by the virus.
Hostin is married to Dr. Manny Hostin, an orthopedic surgeon. Both his parents died after contracting Covid. The two, both doctors, died three days apart after the Christmas holidays.
Navarro’s husband is Al Cardenas. He contracted Covid from a worker in the couple’s home. And he spent five days in the hospital.
Neither Hostin nor Navarro showed obvious symptoms before The View producers pulled them from the stage. Behar and Haines also needed to fill time as the Secret Service looked for a safe place for Harris to do the interview. During one segment, Behar and Haines ad-libbed as they took questions from the audience.
Behar Said Friday’s Episode Is Her Most Memorable
One audience member asked Behar to name her most memorable TV moments. Behar, a comedian, quipped: “This one is definitely … I mean, one thing about working in television is there’s never a dull moment.”
Whoopi Goldberg usually is the moderator on The View. But she’s been out for most of the week because of back problems. Navarro, who lives in Miami, usually appears on Fridays or when another host is absent.
The View intended to devote much of the hour to Harris. But the vice president appeared for only about 10 minutes near the end of the show.
“Sunny and Ana are strong women and I know they’re fine,” Harris said to open her segment. “It really also does speak to the fact that they’re vaccinated. And vaccines make all the difference because otherwise we would be concerned about hospitalization and worse.”
