Diary of a Guest Co-Host of 'The View'

by Rachel Campos-Duffy (Subscribe to Rachel Campos-Duffy's posts) Oct 22nd 2009 8:00AM

Categories: Life & Style, Celeb Parenting, In The News, That's Entertainment

Last week I co-hosted The View and with Elisabeth Hasselbeck out on maternity leave, I was the lone resident conservative. I arrived a little frazzled because my hotel had failed to give me my wake-up call. As a result, I was 45 minutes late to the meeting that takes place behind-the-scenes during hair and makeup sessions, where the show's Hot Topics are debated and decided.

When I entered the makeup room, I was greeted warmly by Bill Geddie -- the executive producer, Barbara Walters, Joy Behar and a staff that appears to have had virtually no turnover since I first appeared on "The View" more than 10 years ago. It was here, during hair and makeup, that I met Whoopi Goldberg for the first time.

Chatty and utterly unassuming as she noshed on a 10 a.m. bag of Doritos, it was easy to see how she so effortlessly inhabits the friendly and down-to-earth characters she portrays in so many of my favorite movies.Topics decided, I returned to my dressing room to change clothes and then stopped in to see Fran, the show's longtime stylist, for a quick chat and some last-minute advice. She approved of my outfit, which was put together the night before by my friend Alison Deyette.

Secret service was hovering around my dressing room because across the hall was Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, a guest in our third segment. After requesting a little more background on the controversial secretary from producers, I was led downstairs to the studio where a mic was pinned to my blouse and I was given the earpiece that allows me to hear the director's directions.

No sooner was I mic'd than I heard the stage manager announce, "Thirty seconds to show time." The music cued, I didn't even have time to get nervous before she quickly led me to the doorway to the stage, instructed me that my chair was the second from the left, next to Barbara, and cheerfully told to have a "great show" as I walked out on stage to the lights and wildly cheering audience.

Hot topics consisted of a slightly awkward conversation about why I was passed over for the show twice and then I announced that I was pregnant! Later, a comment I made about President Obama's Nobel Peace prize made national news. Over the past week, I've received several hundred letters, e-mails, Facebook messages and Tweets – some hoping producers will never ask me back again -- mostly from viewers thanking me for representing their point of view.

Several viewers wondered if the ladies of The View or the producers were angry about my controversial comments. Nothing could be further from the truth. I was encouraged to speak my mind, and when I did, I was praised for giving an honest point of view, one that clearly resonated with a certain segment of "The View's" audience. After the show, I chatted briefly with Barbara and Bill, and Joy and I talked about being a guest on her new show, "The Joy Behar Show" on HLN.

What did I learn from my day of co-hosting? That "The View" has the best hair and makeup people in the business. That no other show has better lighting. That staff and producers must love working there because they never quit. That while liberals might outweigh conservatives at the table, "The View" remains one of the few mainstream network television shows that allows conservatives to speak their mind. You just have to be willing to take the heat.

But the most interesting thing about "The View" was just how comfortable I felt – even though more than five years had passed since my last performance. The hosts and producers put me at ease, but so did the familiarity of it all. It's amazing how easily I forgot about the studio audience and the millions watching at home. When I was at the table it was just me and the ladies in a free-flowing, spirited conversation – precisely the kind I love to have.

Related: Read more from ParentDish columnist Rachel Campos-Duffy here.

Comments (49)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Heather 10-22-2009 @ 9:16AM

You are pregnant again? Congrats!!! That is great!

Jamie 10-22-2009 @ 9:44AM

"Several viewers wondered if the ladies of The View or the producers were angry about my controversial comments"
Rachel, please stop patting yourself on the back. Your comments weren't controversial AT ALL. They were trite, uninspired and uneducated. We KNOW you're conservative, we KNOW you are anti-choice, we know you only respect the Office of the President when a Republican holds the title. Mabye you could stop singing your own praises for like 5 seconds. I'm more interested in hearing about your views on parenting.

mommy4 10-22-2009 @ 10:42AM

I couldn't disagree with Jaimie more, and am frankly perplexed by her angry response to such a benign piece. Rachel's comments were controversial because she called Pres. Obama out on his extreme position on abortion - a position that placed him to the left of his most liberal colleagues in the Senate. The controversial nature of her comments is evidenced by the swift circulation of the clip on the internet. I hardly think she was patting herself on the back, rather she was just pointing out that her conservative position was allowed a forum on The View. Incidentally, if, as you say, Rachel is anti-choice, are you anti-life or anti-babies?
With respect to your comments about Rachel's respect for the office of the presidency - may I remind you that we should certainly respect the office in America, but we don't worship the occupant, and indeed we challenge that occupant in the spirit of our great democratic tradition! Anger and personal attacks haven't a place in that great tradition.

Glorious 10-22-2009 @ 2:04PM

Jamie's remark personifies Lunatic Liberal thinking. Hateful, ugly, angry, etc. This is Rachel's "Diary" of her experience on The View, Dear. She is not patting herself on the back at all, but relating what happened and what was said.
While you are an enthusiastic baby-killer, like BO, Rachel believes in the sanctity of Life. This somehow set you off and so you post your critical comment, which makes you sound like all the things you accuse Rachel of sounding like.
I am very pleasantly surprised Rachel did not encounter some hostility from Walters, Behar and Goldberg. These crones have been awful to conservatives in the past. I am glad to hear they made Rachel's visit so nice.

Elizabeth 10-22-2009 @ 2:50PM

Glorious, it's not a crime to be a liberal nor is it a manifestation of insanity. It is merely an opinion that differs from yours. And just because a person isn't against abortion does not mean they are a baby killer--it means they respect a person's right to decide what to do with their body. Abortion should be a personal choice between a woman and her doctor, not between a woman and her government or a woman and people who don't agree with her choice. It's great that if you got pregnant unexpectedly you would have your baby, but not every woman will make that choice, and, thankfully, you can't make it for them. Women who wish not to have a child shouldn't have to resort to throwing themselves down the stairs in order to do so, and thinking so does not make me a baby killer, nor does it make me full of hate or anger.

EH 10-22-2009 @ 8:28PM

Glorious,

Interesting how the only "Lunatics" you ever see out picketing with Children in tow are "lunatic" Conservatives. I am in no way saying that Conservatives are lunatics...I respect all sane individuals opinions and rights....however, the lunatics and extremists generally fall into the Conservative party.

The images are endless of extremists in the Conservative side protesting with signs of "Die Fags" "God hates you!" as are the headlines of murdering or bombing doctors offices who perform legal abortions killing not only the doctor but innocent bystanders......

Besides the LEGAL abortion debate can you point out any liberal lunatics who actually take their families out to spread hate in this way?

Karen Sample 10-27-2009 @ 1:35AM

I would guess that you're as Liberal as they get. Your opinions are the only important ones, and you're ALWAYS right. Haven't you seen what kind of a MESS the president has gotten us into with this attitude. You Liberals never learn!! Thats why I don't watch the View anymore. The hosts, except for Elisabeth, are as close minded as you are. I couldn't handle it....Disgusting!!!

Glorious 10-23-2009 @ 12:56PM

Elizabeth wrote: "Glorious, it's not a crime to be a liberal nor is it a manifestation of insanity. It is merely an opinion that differs from yours. And just because a person isn't against abortion does not mean they are a baby killer..."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I did not say it was a crime to be liberal, nor a manifestation of insanity. Perhaps it should be?
Love it that you talk about "opinions" because I was expressing mine and will continue to do so. And YES pro-choice is pro-baby killing. That is not HATE, that is reality. A fertilized egg is Life at its most vulnerable. YOU made it. Why not give the others a chance at life? Why would a woman choose to kill a part of herself?
Tell me, Elizabeth...why was Jane Roe (Roe vs. Wade) at Sotomayor's confirmation hearing and arrested for screaming "Down with abortion" repeatedly? Because it's so great?

EH, your comment makes no sense whatsoever. Everything you've wriitten is the Exception and not the rule, all Extremists.
You write: ""Besides the LEGAL abortion debate can you point out any liberal lunatics who actually take their families out to spread hate in this way?"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I'll point out liberal lunatics after you point out examples of the exaggerations you've listed.

Elizabeth 10-23-2009 @ 1:11PM

Glorious, being pro-choice means you support a woman's right to do with her body what she wishes. If it is a choice she regrets in later years, it was still HER CHOICE, not the government's, not her parents. She chose what was best for her at the time, and she will have to live with that. To take away that choice from her is wrong. To encourage her to choose differently is another matter. That's what being pro-choice is all about, not about killing babies. That is reality. To say anything else is just ignorant hate.

Glorious 10-23-2009 @ 2:07PM

Elizabeth wrote: "To say anything else is just ignorant hate."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No, to disagree with YOU is ignorant hate, right? Because you know what is best for everyone, don't you.

Thanks for making my point...LUNATIC LIBERAL thinking.
You don't like Fox News either, do you? BECAUSE THEY'RE IGNORANT HATERS?

EH 10-23-2009 @ 3:02PM

Glorious,

Your replies are the only example necessary of lunatic conservatives;)

Elizabeth made an excellent point in that Pro-Choice simply means it is the woman's choice and not the Governments. Pro-Choice encompasses much more then the termination of pregnancy. It regards choice in birth control knowledge and use for child bearing age females i.e. a GIRL who can become pregnant should be educated on her options for health risks and birth control way before pregnancy happens.

By the way, you CAN be Pro-Choice and not personally for abortion. Abortion only scratches the surface of Pro-Choice. It seems to me it's Conservative views such as yours are the ones who seem to think they know what's best for everyone else.

Chere 10-22-2009 @ 10:02AM

Hi Rachel,
I watched the show and I think you did a great job. The View is a great forum for discussion and I thought you fit in quite nicely. We all have opinions and views on politics and the great part of being in America is that we can discuss them. I have really enjoyed all of your blogs and I think you are a great parenting role model. You have inspired me and I actually now have a weekly column for another site. So thanks for speaking your mind!

Lisa Dudley 10-22-2009 @ 10:43AM

Hi Rachel,

Congrats on the new baby! Thank you for your willingness to stand and take the heat despite being the minority on The View and thank you for your stand for life. I am the National Director of Operation Outcry (www.operationoutcry.org) which is women and men who have been hurt by abortion that are speaking out sharing the truth that abortion hurts women. It is an effort to touch hearts through sharing our testimonies, to change lives by helping those hurt find hope and healing and to restore justice by the collection of legally admissible evidence called Declarations from those who have personally experienced the pain and aftermatch of abortion. I hope they ask you back!!!

muriel 10-22-2009 @ 10:22AM

I never usually watch the but I did that day and it was great! Thank you for reminding us of Mother Teresa's true witness for life, that motherhood is a wonderful vocation and that every child is a blessing!

Janet 10-22-2009 @ 11:46AM

I enjoyed watching you on The View and I hope you'll be back to guest host on the show in the future. If you hadn't been on the show, I never would have known about your new book which I'm currently reading and loving. I also wouldn't have found your AOL blog which I also enjoy. HLN? When? Oh, and by the way, I've been "tooting my own horn" and it feels great.

stef 10-22-2009 @ 1:13PM

I stopped watching The View a while back, but watched the segment of you on it speaking out about Obama and the Nobel Peace Prize. I'm applauding you for your courage and want to thank you for being the voice of the unheard/unborn. We need more people like you on TV!!! Congrats on the new baby and God bless!

Heather 10-22-2009 @ 1:48PM

I enjoy reading your political commentaries (although we have very different philosophies!), but I would love for you to blog about not only your politics but about your family life as well. I love reading about large families and would love to hear how you balance it all, deal with the laundry, dishes, cooking etc. How do you keep your marriage alive and vibrant? I would love to learn more about you in addition to your politics!

Michelle 10-22-2009 @ 5:59PM

I enjoyed watching you on The View-you did great! I give you credit for standing your ground and speaking your mind, and it seemed, for the most part, that you were open to hear other opinions as well (something I didn't expect!). So what if you have strong opinions, every person on that show is pretty much set in her ways!

Having six kids (congrats!), it was obviously better for you to have not gotten the part on the View. I live in WI too and this is a wonderful place to raise a family!

Being mostly conservative myself, I do enjoy hearing what you have to say, although many of my views have changed over the past year. That being said, I hope you can focus more on parenting and family life than politics. I know it isn't always easy not to bring up politics when you are talking about family, but I enjoy it better when you share your ideas for balancing home and family. I hope you can share more videos on AOL as well-please! :)

The only thing about your View appearance that I didn't care for was when you said none of your kids were planned. Rachel, you have a master's degree and you are a self-proclaimed overachiever. I'm sure you know that when you don't use birth control, you actually are PLANNING to have and accept more children. It isn't all up to God. If if were, there would be many, many, poor-excuses-for-parents who wouldn't have been "blessed" by God with children. And it doesn't make someone a better parent if they have more kids than another. Any woman of normal reproductive health could keep having babies til menopause, but it doesn't mean it's the best decision. No one can deny that the more kids you have, the more challenging it becomes to be a good parent. I hope this doesn't offend you-I'm just sayin'!

mnoonan 10-23-2009 @ 2:26AM

I did watch The View that day so I could see/hear Rachel. I thought the show was very balanced and good spirited. I like to hear various opinions, as long as the conversation remains civil. Heather, Rachel's book is out now (Stay Home, Stay Happy) and deals with parenting and family. I highly recommend it. I think I've reread it three times already. I'm already looking forward to the next one...hopefully there will be a sequel:)

Sifrina 10-23-2009 @ 10:29AM

Missed the View but will try to find the transcript to see the comments everyone's talking about above. But I think it's safe to say you can AND should pat yourself on the back! I don't agree w/you on many topics but I love reading/hearing your views and I think you do it very well (among other things). Speaking of which - a BIG congratulations on your pregnancy!! My hat goes off to you - wow, 6!!!

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