‘The View’: Why Abby Huntsman Reportedly Quit

Abby Huntsman announced her departure from The View back in January. News of her exit came after she spent the past year and a half working on the show. At the time, there wasn’t any reason provided other than her expected transition into helping her father, Jon Huntman Jr., in his campaign for governor of Utah.

It turns out that there may be some more underlying issues that led to her decision to leave after rumors had previously surfaced after her announcement. US Weekly retrieved an excerpt from an upcoming book by Ramin Setoodeh entitled Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of The View. In the portion obtained, it appears as though Huntsman was fed up with the culture, “Abby, who had spent just over a year on The View, reached her decision after multiple conversations with ABC executives about the toxicity at the root of the show.” The story continues, “When they didn’t respond to her, she told them that she’d like to move on, according to sources with knowledge of those conversations. Abby didn’t think that anyone at ABC was looking out for her.”

The book goes on to talk about the dysfunction that exists within production, beginning at the top of the ladder. A staff member on the show reportedly goes on to say that, “There’s no leadership and no management. Whenever there’s a problem, nobody communicates.”

After Huntsman made her decision to walk away from the program, Whoopi Goldberg, who has been a part of The View since 2007, left her with some inspirational parting words.

“I want to tell you that it’s been an honor and a pleasure sitting next to you,” she said on air. “Whatever you’re doing next, traveling, dealing with the kids — I can’t wait to see the kids when they’re a little older — and looking after your dad. It’s going to be really interesting and so we’ll be watching, we’ll keep our eye out on you.”

In the months since, Huntsman has been active on her father’s campaign, serving as his spokesperson. Her father just qualified for the primary ballot after gathering the required 28,000 signatures. In a prepared statement obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune, the former View co-host said it was “incredibly heartening and motivating” to receive the designation on the ballot, adding that “our goal will always be to bring as many people into the process as possible. We look forward to continuing that effort into the primary and beyond.”