Pull up two new chairs to the “Hot Topics” table! Alyssa Farah Griffin and Ana Navarro were announced as new full-time permanent co-hosts of The View on Thursday, August 4. The two will join Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, and Sara Haines when the show returns for its next season. The ladies welcomed the two new official co-hosts, as their search ended!
WELCOME TO 'THE VIEW,' ALYSSA! We are thrilled to welcome @Alyssafarah Griffin as a co-host of @TheView as we gear up for season 26! https://t.co/cVclFZQmjA pic.twitter.com/QIjcB39a53
— The View (@TheView) August 4, 2022
Before showing a montage giving more information about Alyssa’s background and showing her highlights from her appearances through season 25, Whoopi announced that the search was over. “It’s a pleasure to introduce you to our newest co-host!” Whoopi said. “After 29 visits to the show, we’re now making it official. Please welcome to the table: Alyssa Farah Griffin.”
After the montage, Alyssa came to sit at the table and shared her excitement to be joining The View. “If anyone had ever told me that I’d be sitting at a table with Whoopi Goldberg, I would’ve said, ‘You are crazy.’ It is such an honor to be with you ladies every day on the set,” she said. “I am so proud to have found my voice. I was a president’s spokesperson. I was a vice president’s spokesperson. I was way too many Republican men of Congress’ spokesperson, but now it is my voice.”
After the break, Whoopi also made the “long overdue” announcement that Ana would be an official co-host. She received a similar montage as Alyssa. She came out onstage to accept her official welcome, with hugs from Sunny and Joy. “We’re finally putting a ring on it,” Ana joked, before thanking fans for their continued support. While Alyssa will be a regular addition, Ana will rotate with her fellow co-hosts, while flying back and forth from New York to her home in Miami a few days a week. “It’s a huge, enormous incomparable privilege to be part of a 25-year institution,” she said.
Alyssa has been a frequent presence throughout season 25. The former White House Director of Strategic Communications was announced as one of many conservative women who would be sitting in with the co-hosts as the show searched for a replacement for Meghan McCain, after she announced that she’d be leaving in August 2021. Prior to joining The View, Alyssa was a staffer in former President Donald Trump’s administration, but she’s since sought to distance herself from him, since the January 6 attack on the Capitol. After her tenure with the former president, Alyssa became a contributor for CNN and The Hill.
While Ana is only becoming a permanent co-host now, she’s no stranger to fans of the show! She’s made appearances on the show since 2013, and she’s been a regular, weekly guest co-host since 2018. She’s regularly sat at the “Hot Topics” table, and has a great rapport with the co-hosts. She even made headlines back in September, when she and fellow co-host Sunny Hostin were rushed off-set ahead of their interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. The ladies were forced to sit out of the show after testing positive for COVID-19, which was later revealed to be a false positive.
Like Alyssa, Ana is no stranger to working with Republican politicians. She’s worked in different roles for Florida Governor Jeb Bush, as well as late Senator John McCain. Aside from her political work, she’s been a contributor to CNN and ABC News.