Meghan McCain Admitted ‘SNL’ Mocking ‘The View’ Left Her Feeling Like ‘The Laughing Stock of the Country’
Meghan McCain might have laughed about Saturday Night Live parodies of her on The View at the time, but she recently admitted the sketches hurt. McCain said the way SNL mocked her took a “toll” and caused “dark spirals.”
Meghan McCain says ‘SNL’ ‘The View’ sketches contributed to people’s ‘princess impression’ of her
In an interview with Rolling Stone, McCain was candid about how SNL sketches parodying The View had a negative impact on her mental health. Though she seemed to take it in stride at the time the sketches aired, McCain shared how the Saturday Night Live impression of her caused depression.
When asked, “Why do people have this princess impression of you?, McCain shared her thoughts on the SNL parodies. “I’m very aware of this, like, spoiled, entitled queen of nepotism persona that is out there,” she answered. “Some of it I think is, I didn’t always react my best on air on The View. To my defense, neither did anyone else, everybody’s just watching me react badly the most and making the most of it.”
McCain found the ‘SNL’ portrayal took a ‘toll’ on her mental health
McCain explained how the SNL portrayal of her was particularly damaging, both emotionally and mentally. “I think partly Saturday Night Live parodies have this way of becoming reality. I’ve seen it so many times with Sarah Palin, Hillary Clinton. The stereotypes of who you are become true. Bush being an idiot. I still think Alex Trebek is someone who celebrities hated.”
“Sometimes the parody is the person, and I think that probably played a factor, too. People really loved it when SNL dunked on me, and it was not flattering or kind,” McCain said. “And, by the way, they were pretty nice to the rest of the [View] cast, just not great to me.”
While McCain noted, “I feel like I have a pretty healthy sense of humor,” she shared that the sketches were damaging. “But I think if people knew what it has done to me mentally, emotionally, the toll it’s taken on me, the depression that has followed .. just the dark spirals. I felt like for a while that I was just the laughing stock of the country,” she shared. “And it’s not true or fair or accurate, but when you’re your worst critic in your head, it’s very hard.”
McCain said she was ‘bullied’ out of her ‘The View’ job
During an Oct. 20 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, McCain discussed her time on The View, revealing to host Andy Cohen that she was “bullied” out of her job.
When a fan asked, “Do you think the rumors are true that The View is banning the hosts and staff from communicating with you?” McCain shared, “If it’s true, they’re doing a terrible job.” She explained that she continues to work with the hair, makeup and stylist teams from The View and still speaks with “a lot of the hosts, including Sunny [Hostin].”
Cohen said that some fans asked, “Do you take any responsibility at all for the toxicity on The View?”
“That’s a really interesting question and I think only one person was bullied out of their job and doesn’t work there anymore,” Meghan responded. “And I think that really says it all.”
Cohen asked, “You think you were bullied out of your job?” and she confirmed, “Yeah.”