Why did Elisabeth Hasselbeck leave The View? Former cohost calls out Joy Behar over Carrie Underwood criticism

Elisabeth Hasselbeck has criticized her former colleague, Joy Behar, over the latter's remarks on the country singer, Carrie Underwood. For the uninitiated, Behar had previously called out Underwood on The View for being one of the performers at Donald Trump's second inauguration.

Like Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck was also once a cohost on The View, which got her a Daytime Emmy in 2009. Hasselbeck's stint ended in July 2013, after which she joined Fox & Friends. According to Us Weekly, the network didn't renew the contract of the talk show host for being too conservative. As reported by the outlet in March 2013:

"The viewers they polled all said she was too extreme and right wing. People did not watch the show because of Elisabeth. So they told her yesterday her contract would not be renewed."

A couple of days later, The View cohost and veteran journalist, Barbara Walters, claimed that there were "no plans" of firing Hasselbeck. However, in July 2013, the network announced Elisabeth Hasselbeck's departure from the show. Interestingly, it was not her final appearance on The View, as the former Survivor contestant returned as a guest cohost on different occasions.

Besides her appearances in 2014, 2019, and 2020, Hasselbeck was also a guest cohost for the 25th anniversary episode of The View. Later, she made an appearance for the Barbara Walters tribute episode in 2023.

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Elisabeth Hasselbeck asks Joy Behar to "learn" from Carrie Underwood

Donald Trump's second inauguration is scheduled to happen on January 20, 2025, and Carrie Underwood will be one of the performing artists. After the announcement, The View cohosts talked about the same when Joy Behar criticized Underwood. She referenced the singer's official statement and said:

"I would not normalize him. She says, 'I love our country.' How do you love our country and support and normalize somebody who was a convicted felon. Who really wants to destroy the country in my opinion? I don't understand how you say you love your country at the same time as you normalize this convicted felon, which… I can say now every day."

Behar's statement was instantly disapproved by fellow cohost, Alyssa Farah Griffin, who argued how her family "voted for Trump" and still "loved their country." Behar didn't retract from her statement, as she added:

"I would not be the person to say, 'Don't do it,' because I believe in free speech and everything about it. I personally would not do it. No one's asked me, but that's another story."

After the broadcast, Elisabeth Hasselbeck took to X (formerly Twitter) and hit back at Behar. She wrote:

"That @TheView @JoyVBehar needs to simmer down off my friend @carrieunderwood"

She also shared her Instagram story, which featured The View's post and a caption that read:

"Joy — @carrieunderwood is an INCREDIBLE WOMAN. You could learn from her strength."

Elisabeth Hasselbeck later joined Sean Hannity on his Fox News show, where she explained her stand. Hasselbeck noted that Joy Behar calling Underwood "un-American" was "ridiculous." Although Behar didn't outrightly call the singer "un-American," Elisabeth continued criticizing her ex-colleague:

"What Joy is up to, is nothing more than selfish personal publicity gain right now. She wants to attach her name to Carrie Underwood's name so that she maintains relevance because she knows the ship is sinking."

She expanded on her views, asserting that Joy Behar should have "supported" Carrie Underwood in her decision. At the same time, Hasselbeck suggested that Behar "could learn from Carrie Underwood."

It is not the first time Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Joy Behar have a difference of opinion. In 2014, Behar criticized Hasselbeck for her remarks against Rosie O'Donnell. For the unversed, O'Donnell is another former The View cohost who had an infamous onscreen argument with Elisabeth in 2007 about the Iraq War.