Nicolle Wallace, the resident conservative co-host on the ABC News daytime talk show "The View," has been fired as the show continues to juggle its cast and struggle with ratings.
Ratings for "The View" were down by 16 percent in the second quarter from last year as producers extended their search to find the right mix that would create a buzz,
Variety reported. Moderator Whoopi Goldberg is expected to return with actress Raven Symone.
Comedian Michelle Collins was named Monday to join the panel, replacing Rosie Perez who told "The View" she was leaving the show as well. Sources told Variety that Wallace, though, has an offer to appear as a contributor on the talk show.
"File that under With Friends Like These," wrote
Deadline.com columnist Lisa de Moraes. "While political insiders wondered what she was smoking when she accepted the clown-car gig in the first place, sources tell Deadline that producers decided Wallace was not a good fit for the show because she did not disagree strongly with the other co-hosts as often as hoped — and was not particularly well-versed on celebrities and things pop culture."
Wallace and Perez's departure, coupled with Rosie O'Donnell's second exit from "The View" back in February, means the show has lost three of its four co-hosts since undergoing a transformation last year, according to
The Hollywood Reporter.
"The View's" co-creator Barbara Walters, along with Sherri Shepherd and Jenny McCarthy all departed the show at the end of the last television season,
reported The Wrap, making it six co-host exits within a year for the program.
Variety reported that former "Full House" star Candace Cameron-Bure is one of the favorites to fill Wallace's spot on the show. Cameron-Bure, sister of actor Kirk Cameron, wooed producers with her strong opinions during a guest stint on the program.
The Wrap noted that Shepherd was also considering a return as a rotating guest co-host for the Season 19, which starts in September. Variety noted that Molly Sims and stylist Stacy London had also been asked to fill its guest co-host rotation.