'The View' Fans Left Irritated by Guest Co-Host Elisabeth Hasselbeck's Return

Viewers were anything but thrilled by former co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck's return to The View. Nearly a decade after last appearing on the long-running ABC talk show, Hasselbeck, who previously held the conservative seat on the panel, returned to the Hot Topics table on Wednesday, Aug. 3, much to the displeasure of viewers.

During her return appearance, Hasselbeck and The View's mainstay co-hosts, including Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar, got into a back-and-forth discussion about abortion following the Supreme Court's June ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, effectively ending the constitutional right to an abortion. Discussing Tuesday's primary in Kansas, in which voters rejected efforts to remove the right to an abortion from the state constitution, Hasselbeck stated that "just because something is a right, doesn't make it right," adding that "life has a plan and a purpose designed by God." Later in the episode, the former co-host stuck Post-it notes on her body with various messages, including, "Americans can't afford your America" and "Gas prices hurt us."

Hasselbeck originally appeared on The View show from Seasons 7 to 16 from 2003 to 2013, though she ultimately left her seat at the able and found a job on Fox and Friends replacing Gretchen Carlson. In late July, it was announced that nine years after she departed, Hasselbeck would be back at The View on a temporary basis, something she called an "honor." Fans felt anything but, though, with many viewers taking to social media upon Hasselbeck's return to express their frustrations.