‘The View’ Hosts Test Positive for COVID Moments Before Appearance from VP Kamala Harris
The pandemic isn’t over and we’re continuing to see the effects of that on television screens. Just moments before Vice President Kamala Harris was set to appear on ABC‘s live daytime talk show series, “The View,” hosts Ana Navarro and Sunny Hostin were revealed as being COVID-positive.
Longtime host Joy Behar made the announcement after Hostin and Navarro were told to immediately leave the ABC studio and that the Vice President would not be entering. “Sunny and Ana apparently tested positive for COVID,” Behar said. “No matter how hard we try, these things happen. They probably have a breakthrough case. They will be OK I am sure because they are both vaccinated.”
VP Harris did eventually do the interview from a separate room with Behar and fellow host Sara Haines remaining on-set. Requests to ABC for comment were not answered at press time. Though it appears that the hosts were tested in anticipation of Harris’ arrival, based on Behar’s comments, it’s unclear how often everyone was testing or what the series’ COVID protocols are. The show has also been seeing a return of live audiences, masked, to the ABC studios.
This marks one of the first times a show has had to pivot so dramatically on-air, with a live audience no less. And only a few days since the recent Emmy awards ceremony where guest Seth Rogen expressed publicly his anxiety at being in a room with so many unmasked attendees.
Per a recent news report on New York City’s ABC 7 broadcast at noon it’s also unclear whether Vice President Harris met with Navarro and Hostin prior to her appearance.
The news first came out via Twitter where People News Editor Nigel Smith posted a photo, captioning it, “Total chaos here at #TheView. Before first commercial break ended saw Sunny and Anna being escorted off the show, both confused. Joy then told audience they tested positive while on set. Kamala prob not coming on.”
Per Smith, who recently updated his Tweets, the audience is being offered rapid tests.
Total chaos here at #TheView. Before first commercial break ended saw Sunny and Anna being escorted off the show, both confused. Joy then told audience they tested positive while on set. Kamala prob not coming on. pic.twitter.com/HrT98v8fXU
— Nigel Smith (@nigelmfs) September 24, 2021
You can watch the event unfold and the sudden announcement below. We will continue to update this story as it develops.
BREAKING: Sunny and Ana have been asked to leave the ABC studio because they tested positive for COVID.#TheView pic.twitter.com/DMIYrjHjid
— The Chat (@LiveOnTheChat) September 24, 2021
VP Kamala Harris will now do today's interview on The View remotely in another room after two co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro tested positive for COVID (breakthrough) and had to be removed from the set live on air. pic.twitter.com/4fnVr7mbNH
— The Recount (@therecount) September 24, 2021
