March 14 (Reuters) – ABC did not drop its talk show “The View,” contrary to posts on social media saying its audience numbers have declined. A network spokesperson said in March 2024 that this is false and that “The View” is the most watched among U.S. daytime talk shows.

A meme shared online, opens new tab reads: “ABC drops ‘The View’ from its 2024 lineup, citing declining viewership: ‘Nobody watches anymore.’” It includes pictures of hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar and Sunny Hostin.

Reuters Image

Reuters Image


The narrative dates back to at least June 2023, when an article by the satirical website Dunning-Kruger-Times, opens new tab was published with the headline, “Canceled: ABC Removes ‘The View’ From Its 2024 Roster: ‘Nobody Watches Anymore.’”

The website’s “About Us” page, opens new tab reads, in part: “Dunning-Kruger-Times.com is a subsidiary of the ‘America’s Last Line of Defense’ network of parody, satire, and tomfoolery, or as Snopes called it before they lost their war on satire: Junk News.”

No credible news outlets have reported ABC is canceling the show, as of March 14, 2024.

A spokesperson for the network said via email the claim “is not true” and added that “The View” is currently the most watched among daytime talk shows in the country.

She said the show ranks first in viewership among network and syndicated daytime talk shows and news programs. This was also reported in a March 12 press release, opens new tab by ABC.

According to an article by entertainment outlet The Wrap, opens new tab, in January 2024, “The View” scored its largest monthly average viewership in nearly two years. Its January installments averaged nearly 2.6 million viewers.

VERDICT

False. ABC did not drop “The View” from its 2024 lineup. The narrative stems from a satire article.

This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work.