Elisabeth Hasselbeck Slated to Guest Host on 'CBS Mornings' Elisabeth Hasselbeck, a former co-host of ABC’s “The View” and “Fox & Friends,” is set to guest host “CBS Mornings” next week as part of a broader effort by CBS News to revamp its morning program, which has struggled to maintain viewership against competitors like NBC’s “Today” and ABC’s “Good Morning America.” According to two people familiar with the matter, Hasselbeck will appear on the show from Monday through Wednesday, avoiding segments focused on hard news or politics. Instead, she is expected to participate in “Talk of the Table” segments and discussions about parenting, pop culture, and entertainment. Other guest hosts, including “Inside Edition” host Eva Pilgrim, are also anticipated to appear during the summer, with Norah O’Donnell set to join the program regularly on Wednesday’s broadcasts. The decision to bring in guest hosts reflects CBS News’ strategy to diversify its programming and attract a wider audience. The show, which has relied on anchors Gayle King and Nate Burleson since Tony Dokoupil left for “CBS Evening News,” has faced declining ratings. Nielsen data shows that “CBS Mornings” averaged 1.69 million viewers for the five days ending June 5, compared to nearly 2.98 million for “Today” and 2.7 million for “GMA.” The show’s performance among key demographics, particularly viewers aged 25 to 54—critical for advertisers—was even more concerning, with an audience of 285,000 versus 640,000 for “Today” and 470,000 for “GMA.” Hasselbeck’s potential impact on the program is notable, given her conservative views on issues like abortion, which contrast with the more neutral tone of many current hosts.#elisabeth_hasselbeck #tom_cibrowski #cbs_mornings #nbc_today #abc_good_morning_america
Megyn Kelly confronted Elisabeth Hasselbeck during a heated exchange on The View on Tuesday, escalating tensions between the former colleagues after Hasselbeck criticized her during a fill-in hosting stint. Hasselbeck, serving as a guest host for the second day, directly challenged Kelly during a discussion about Trump’s recent Iran attacks. “How dare you tell a military person who has sacrificed their lives for our nation, in our uniform, when they are sacrificing their lives in our uniform—how dare you tell them or their families or our nation what they died for?” she asked, referencing Kelly’s past comments on the war in Iran. When co-host Joy Behar warned Kelly that Hasselbeck was known for her fiery rants, Hasselbeck responded, “I’m not afraid of her.” Kelly retaliated by mocking Hasselbeck’s past departure from The View in 2013, when she was fired after frequent clashes with her left-leaning co-hosts. “Elisabeth was too weak to handle the ladies of The View and even the morning set on Fox and Friends,” Kelly said, highlighting their history of conflict. Hasselbeck had later joined Fox and Friends as a co-host, working alongside Kelly for two years before leaving the show in 2015. The exchange revealed a lack of camaraderie between the pair, with Kelly accusing Hasselbeck of retreating from public scrutiny to avoid criticism. “She ran from the public square into exile so she could avoid mean people saying unflattering things about her—and there are many to say,” Kelly said. She further mocked Hasselbeck’s return to the spotlight, questioning her authority to dictate conversations about the Iran conflict. “Now she thinks she’s going to come back for a day and be the arbiter of appropriate conversation around the war we just launched in Iran? Please.#megyn_kelly #the_view #elisabeth_hasselbeck #joy_behar #fox_and_friends
