Meghan McCain Takes Break from ‘The View’ After Father John McCain’s Funeral

Meghan McCain taking a break from The View following her fathers funeral, and there is no word on when she will return.

Senator John McCain passed away on Saturday, Aug. 25 after battling brain cancer for more than a year. All last week, Meghan McCain travelled with her father to numerous memorials and funeral services, finally laying him to rest at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland on Sunday. After the ordeal, she was apparently not ready to get back to work on Tuesday.

Season 22 of The View premiered on Tuesday, and the rest of the co-hosts addressed McCain’s absence almost at once. They welcome their newest cast member, Abby Huntsman, who comes from Fox & Friends Weekend. Huntsman spoke about McCain’s current state of mind.

“Meghan is like a sister to me and this was the hardest thing she has ever been through,” she said. “Her dad was her best friend, her dad was everything. I was so proud of her — it was like her dad had passed the torch to her. She was now speaking for the family.”

With the addition of Huntsman, McCain is no longer the only conservative voice on the program, but the boundaries of political affiliations were down as the ladies discussed her tragic loss, as well as that of the country.

“He was willing to give his life for this country,” Huntsman said. “And that is a love for this country that very few people have.”

The group also talked about Meghan McCain’s powerful eulogy, which took over the headlines and overshadowed even the speeches of former presidents at the service.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard a group of people applaud at a eulogy,” remarked Sunny Hostin. “It was just so moving to see our friend and our colleague rise to that occasion. We all know she’s devastated by the passing of her father… but my God, she showed everyone how tough she is.”

Whoopi Goldberg also weighed in. She missed the funereal because of a flight complication, which she regretted deeply.

“It was one of the biggest devastations,” she said. “John and I, as crazy as this sounds, we were friends. We’ve been friends since Meghan was little. The plane had some issues and it was going to take them two hours to fix it. I hate to fly but I was willing to fly because I needed to get there. So I’m so crazed that I missed it.”

McCain was 81 years old.