Why The View Cohosts Were Scolded for Attending Wendy Williams Show

Sara Haines is looking back on her experience witnessing the magic of The Wendy Williams Show — but not everyone was thrilled about her and Sunny Hostin‘s visit to the famous daytime series.

While appearing on the Behind the Table podcast Thursday, February 22, The View cohost recalled visiting Wendy Williams’ talk show as an audience member with Hostin, 55.

“I wanted to go see Wendy, Sunny and I,” she shared in a discussion with The View executive producer Brian Teta. “We tried to get tickets through all of our hair and makeup people. Brian was like, ‘You could ask for tickets, like, we could probably arrange with the show.’ We got tickets, and they were going to put us in the front row.”

Haines, 46, said she wasn’t interested in being on camera or having a VIP seat. Instead, she simply wanted to see Williams’ interview style in person.

Related: ‘The View’ Cohosts Through the Years and Why They Left

Since The View premiered in August 1997, more than 20 women have had permanent roles as cohosts on the ABC morning talk show. The series, which was created by Barbara Walters, features a multi-generational panel that conducts interviews and discusses the news of the day, ranging from politics to entertainment. The original lineup was comprised […]

Once the opportunity came, however, Haines remembered Teta, 47, watching the show and being less than excited.

“We were taking pictures from the front row,” Haines recalled, “and you’re like, ‘You literally are on camera in the front row of another show.’”

Teta replied, “I was not happy about it at the time, because I just thought, it was early in the time you worked here, and you and Sunny just going to hang out, just to be in the audience of another talk show.”

As time has passed, Haines — who joined The View as a permanent cohost during Season 20 in 2016 — said she has a better understanding of Teta’s reaction. But when it initially happened, Haines was surprised by the lack of excitement.

“We could not understand why,” she said. “We were so mad at you. We were like, ‘Why is he not celebrating this? We’re so excited.’”

The View welcomed Williams’ niece, Alex Finnie, to the table on Thursday, February 22, to reflect on her aunt’s life ahead of Lifetime’s new documentary Where Is Wendy Williams? During the interview, moderator Whoopi Goldberg urged viewers to watch the two-part special to get a better understanding of Williams’ reality after her talk show came to an end in 2021.

“She is a friend of the show and a lot of us have known her for a long time,” Goldberg said. “Do yourselves a favor. Please check it out.”

Related: Wendy Williams’ Health and Personal Struggles Through the Years

Wendy Williams has made headlines for much more than her brutally honest opinions and on-air spats with her A-list interviewees. The talk show host has found herself face-to-face with numerous health and personal struggles, from struggling with a cocaine addiction in the beginning of her career, to more recently, battling Graves’ disease, hyperthyroidism and other […]

At the end of the show, Goldberg, 68, alerted viewers that Williams, 59, was diagnosed with both frontotemporal dementia and aphasia. The former radio hosts’ team first confirmed the news in a statement to Page Six.

“Receiving a diagnosis has enabled Wendy to receive the medical care she requires,” the statement said. “The decision to share this news was difficult and made after careful consideration, not only to advocate for understanding and compassion for Wendy, but to raise awareness about aphasia and frontotemporal dementia and support the thousands of others facing similar circumstances.”

The press release assured fans that the former shock jock is “still able to do many things for herself” and has maintained her “trademark sense of humor.”

Where Is Wendy Williams? premieres on Saturday, February 24, and Sunday, February 25 at 8 p.m. on Lifetime.