‘The View’: Whoopi Goldberg Was Crushed When This Former Co-Host was Fired

For a brief period of time between 2014 and 2015, Nicole Wallace was brought on to be a conservative co-host on The View. While there, she formed a strong bond with fellow co-host Whoopi Goldberg. 

Given her political background, many were curious about why she’d accept the hosting job on the popular talk show, to begin with. They didn’t have to wonder long. 

When the co-host was fired from the show, not only was it mishandled by ABC but it also left Goldberg crushed.

Who is Nicole Wallace?

Wallace has been around. She was once a communications chief for George W. Bush and senior adviser for the McCain-Palin presidential campaign in 2008. Sarah Paulson portrayed her in the Game Change, HBO’s Emmy-winning movie.

In September 2014, she was chosen to be the Republican co-host on the popular ABC show The View. By the late summer of 2015, after a brief time at the table, Wallace was fired.

According to Deadline, ABC fired Wallace as a regular co-host. They offered to have her join a stable of rotating guest contributors.

Deadline sources explained that the producers felt Wallace wasn’t a good fit for the show. She didn’t oppose the other co-hosts as often or as vehemently as they would have liked. Wallace was also limited in her knowledge of celebrities and pop culture.

Wallace neither received any negative feedback from ABC nor did they directly inform her that she was being fired as a regular host on the show. She read about it in an article ran by Variety. 

Addressed on the show, Wallace explained that she would have been more surprised if they’d kept her. Wallace confirmed she was out on the last live episode of that season of The View. She’d been surprised to get the job in the first place.

Wallace said she loved being part of the table on The View. While she felt that it was never hers, she was grateful for her time there.

Whoopi Goldberg wasn’t happy

Before Wallace could address her time on the show and say her goodbyes, moderator Goldberg spoke out about her displeasure with Wallace’s exit. She made it clear that she wasn’t involved in the decision.

Goldberg told the audience her friend Nicole is leaving the show. “You have to ask ABC why. I can’t tell you; I don’t know.” Goldberg and Wallace developed a bond while on the show.

Wallace explained that she’d fallen in love at first sight with three people in her life at the time. They were her husband, her son, and Whoopi Goldberg. She explained that Goldberg and fellow co-host Rosie Perez, who also left at the end of that season and wasn’t on her final show, were “two of the loves of my life.”

Wallace took the time to thank the show’s producers and the crew, particularly those in hair, makeup, and wardrobe who she claimed could perform miracles. Wallace said she’d never “look like this again.”

At the show’s conclusion, Goldberg asked Wallace to stay while the rest of the co-hosts walked offstage and into the audience. They turned and applauded Wallace. 

The exits of Perez and Wallace marked a major overhaul of the show that year.

Nicole Wallace returns to the political realm

Wallace found her way back to the world of politics after her abrupt departure from The View. 

She became involved with NBC News and it’s cable faction MSNBC. Serving as a frequent contributor on MSNBC shows like The 11th Hour with Brian Williams and Morning Joe, she became a familiar face to viewers. In 2016, she joined Eugene Robinson, Rachel Maddow, and Brian Williams as a chief political commentator during MSNBC’s live coverage of the 2016 presidential election.

In May 2017, Wallace became the anchor of a show at MSNBC called Deadline: White House where she remains today. The show airs at 4 PM EST each weekday.