Is Meghan McCain leaving The View before season 23?

Is Meghan McCain leaving The View before the start of season 23 this September? There’s probably going to be buzz on the subject for a while; we’re surprised in some ways that there hasn’t been more of it already. From the outside looking in, this just feels like a contentious gig for all parties involved. McCain frequently clashes with many of her fellow co-hosts as the “Conservative on the panel,” and this is a position that tends to be tossed around like a hot potato from one person to the next.

According to a new report from The Daily Beast, Meghan is allegedly considering a departure from the ABC institution, with one source claiming that she feels like a “caged animal” and cites the emotional exhaustion of the gig week after week. While we’re sure that this is a well-paying gig, how far does the money go in terms of your happiness? This is a year where she’s come under fire for her viewpoints, for her frequent references to her late father John McCain, and was eviscerated in multiple Saturday Night Live spoofs.

Despite these sources, show senior executive producer Hilary Estey McLoughlin expressed some confidence to the publication that she will return:

“We don’t want people to attack Meghan. We’re happy to have Meghan there … I think she does want to be there. I think she wants to be on the show. She realizes it’s a very good platform for her and we love having her there. I feel like she will come back.

“What happens with Meghan is that because she’s so passionate about what she’s talking about, and she feels very strongly that she’s carrying this mantle for the conservative perspective, and what she wants to talk about is so important to her, I think that’s the part that’s the most draining for her.”

There’s a little bit of time for McCain to make her decision, but remember this — even if you don’t like her on this show, the casting for this show will probably remain the same moving forward. The series likes having the headlines about their panelists disagreeing on various political issues; it puts more of a spotlight on the show, and it’s a reflection of how people have to interact with each other in the real world.

Do you want to see Meghan McCain continue onward on The View? Be sure to share right now in the comments. (Photo: ABC.)