Meghan McCain, the lone conservative co-host of “The View,” said Wednesday she would refuse to appear again on the ABC talk show alongside Elisabeth Hasselbeck because of the former co-anchor’s past comments, particularly those encouraging people to pray in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
McCain, 35, shared the surprising revelation during an appearance on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.”
“I took this virus seriously from the very beginning, and I thought a lot of this rhetoric was really dangerous,” McCain said. “I think it’s really, really unfortunate and dangerous that she said that.”
McCain was referring to a segment that aired in March, when Hasselbeck emphasized the role prayer should play in combatting the coronavirus.
While she told people to absolutely follow the guidelines put in place by federal, state, and local authorities, Hasselbeck also urged against panicking.
“I think there can be a fine line between what is precaution, what is taking precaution, and what is panic,” she said last month. “Yes, we’re going to take precautions, we’re going to Purell, pray that God’s got us in our tomorrows. We pray that this coronavirus is extinguished, that it stops in its tracks.”
Hasselbeck later added she thinks fear and isolation are “tools of the enemy” and said it’s important for people to find ways to connect despite having to be socially distanced from one another.
When the conversation first aired in March, McCain told Hasselbeck she believes “both things can be true,” seemingly referring to her comments about being prayerful instead of panicking while also taking a sober look at the seriousness of the virus.
Sometime, however, between then and now, McCain’s thinking has changed.
McCain said Wednesday she believes Hasselbeck is “putting out sort of misinformation” about the coronavirus, which has infected nearly 1 million Americans as of Friday morning.
“I don’t need to co-host with her again, and it’s unfortunate, because I’ve been a huge fan for a long time,” McCain charged. “Anybody who is screwing around with this virus and putting out sort of misinformation, I don’t really have a lot of time for right now.”
Faithwire reached out to a representative for McCain, but had not heard back at the time this story was published. If the ABC co-host issues a statement, this article will be updated to include her comments.