Over a year and a half after leaving “The View”, Abby Huntsman is explaining why she left the talk show.
During her Jan. 2020 exit, Huntsman said she was leaving to help her father, Republican politician Jon Huntsman Jr., run his campaign. But on her podcast “I Wish Somebody Told Me“, she explained it had more to do with the show’s environment.
Reports at the time did suggest Huntsman had left due to a “toxic” workplace.
READ MORE: Meghan McCain Discusses Best & Worst Guests On ‘The View’, Reveals Who Was ‘A D**k’
Huntsman said “The View” “did not reflect my values” and was “rewarding people for bad behaviour.”
She claimed the “executives in charge” made a workplace that “was all about money and the tabloids…You would see people act in ways that were not okay, that was very much part of the toxic environment of ‘The View’, and here we were going on the air criticizing others for toxic culture.”
During her last show, Huntsman wouldn’t read a prepared statement so a producer allegedly sent her a text reading, “That was a mistake.”
It didn’t take long until news articles were being published that claimed from inside sources that “The View” was going to fire her before she quit.
“When I was walking out of the building that day, I was living again,” Huntsman said. “I could breathe and feel myself breathing. I was present and I hadn’t been present for the almost two years I was there.”
READ MORE: ‘The View’ Addresses Meghan McCain’s ‘Toxic’ Work Environment And ‘Hostile’ Co-Hosts Comments
Speaking with DailyMailTV, Huntsman said executives would make her “feel threatened at times if I didn’t do what they wanted.”
“When the execs hired me, I said, ‘I am not coming in to be a talking head for any organization, any political party, I’m coming in as Abby’,” she explained. “But very quickly you realize that’s not how it goes there.”
She noted that the tension between the co-hosts was planned.
“It was almost like they wanted there to be that tension. It was part of their game which made it really hard. It didn’t always make people their very best self and so you’re always paranoid. It’s not a healthy or normal way for any human being to live their life,” she added.
A spokesperson for “The View” responded to the outlet about Huntsman’s allegations, saying, “Twenty-two incredible women have had a seat on the panel and have worked in collaboration with the dedicated group of professionals on our staff. Abby will always remain a part of ‘The View’ family and we look forward to continuing the conversation with her when she visits next month.”
Huntsman’s comments about the toxic workplace echo Meghan McCain’s recent audio memoir Bad Republican about her time on the show.
“‘The View’ breeds drama: producers can’t control hosts, manage conflict or control leaking. My take on the show is that working at ‘The View’ brings out the worst in people. I believe that all the women and the staff are working under conditions where the culture is so f**ked up, it feels like quicksand,” McCain’s memoir reads.
