Joy Behar was joined by The View alums Star Jones, Meredith Vieira and Debbie Matenopoulos for a pre-recorded reunion that aired on Thursday, June 2. The four ladies were all the original co-hosts of the show along with Barbara Walters, who did not attend the reunion. The women all met up at New York’s Essex House, where they’d all first auditioned for the series with a “chemistry test.” The group all reflected on what it was like when they first met in the special event!
The women recalled that they’d all auditioned with multiple groups of different women, but the original co-hosts were all in the group together. Debbie, 47, remembered the audition seeming “overwhelming,” especially because she was new to TV. Meredith, 68, and Star, 60, recalled that the first conversation that they had during the audition process was about the Heaven’s Gate cult. “This particular group clicked right away,” Joy said, as they spoke about trying out with different groups. As Joy, 79, pointed out, Star said that it “never worked the same” with other groups.
The discussions were interspersed with clips from the test run. Meredith also revealed that going into the show she didn’t have many expectations, but that changed after the first audition. “I went in, not with any nerves. I left with a lot of nerves, because I left going, ‘I love this,'” she said. “I really wanted it.”
During the conversation, the women looked back on so much, including the guests in the early seasons, being spoofed on Saturday Night Live, taking exits from the show, but most of all, they spoke about what a special bond all the women formed during their time on the show, and they sweetly finished by toasting Barbara.
The View is currently celebrating its 25th season, and it’s been jam-packed with tons of former hosts stopping by to look back on the iconic talk show over the years. Throughout the current season, past co-hosts, including Star and Meredith, have stopped by to discuss “Hot Topics” and look back on their time on the show. Other alums that have stopped by include Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hassleback.
When the women had gotten together to tape their reunion, Debbie posted a photo of the four of them and seemed proud of being one of the first women at the table on the show. ” There can only ever be one first… and that was us! It’s like we hadn’t missed a beat. If you know…you know!!! Take a little time to enjoy THIS original View everyone!” she wrote in the caption.
Throughout the 25 seasons of The View, there have been 22 women who have sat at the table and co-host the show, and that doesn’t even account for the numerous guests and guest co-hosts. Joy is the only original co-host still on the show, and she’s followed by Whoopi Goldberg, who has been on since 2007. Their fellow co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Sara Haines both joined the show in 2016, although Sunny did have a 2-year gap between 2018 and 2020. Throughout season 25, the women have been joined by a wide array of conservative commentators to find the best fit to replace former co-host, Meghan McCain.