Republican commentators and political figures are challenging assertions made by “The View” co-host Joy Behar, who claimed this week that the ABC News public affairs show struggles to book conservative guests because they are “scared” to appear.

During Wednesday’s episode, the 83-year-old, reliably liberal comedian stated, “We should have more Republicans on the show. But they don’t want to come on — they’re scared of us.” Ms. Behar continued by referencing Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s comments about Republican men fearing powerful women, suggesting this reluctance might span “all political persuasions.”

The remarks prompted immediate pushback from multiple conservative figures who say they’ve tried to secure appearances on the program, which is a product of ABC News. Joel Pollak, senior editor-at-large for Breitbart News, directly contradicted Behar’s account. 

“This is a lie,” Mr. Pollak wrote Thursday on social media. Mr. Pollak stated that when he appeared on the show in 2017, producers told him they had to “work hard” to convince the show to invite a conservative guest. Despite what he described as a successful appearance, his subsequent requests for return visits were declined. “They are afraid of dialogue,” he wrote.

Other conservative voices shared similar experiences. “When I was pitched to go on, they said no lol,” wrote Riley Gaines, a conservative political commentator known for her advocacy against transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.

A senior advisor on President Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, Danielle Alvarez, claimed the show rejected Florida Representative Byron Donalds after he volunteered to join as a guest. She suggested Behar “should have checked with her team before making the ridiculous claim” and added, “Fake News Alert!”

Conservative radio host Clay Travis posted correspondence showing his producer had offered to appear as a guest in July, but received no invitation. “Hey ⁦@JoyVBehar here is our producer Ali emailing The View last July offering for us to come on as guests. We’re big fans. Look forward to the invite!”

The debate comes as co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin faces criticism over a separate but related controversy. Ms. Griffin, a former conservative filling the customary “View” role of lone conservative, was a White House staffer during Trump’s first term but turned on Mr. Trump after January 6 and says she voted for Kamala Harris. Ms. Griffin pledged in December 2024 to “wear a MAGA hat for one day on the show” if Mr. Trump succeeded in winning the release of Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity. 

After all live hostages were returned from Gaza, however, Ms. Griffin did not wear the red cap during the show’s coverage of the event. The clip resurfaced after Donald Trump Jr. reposted it with the comment, “Sending this to the top. Let’s go.”

The 47th president weighed in on the situation on Tuesday, claiming that Ms. Griffin had written him “beautiful” letters following her departure, but that she “changed her view very quickly” after joining the ABC talkshow. “It just shows what a fraud ‘The View’ is,” the president added. 

These incidents fit into a broader pattern. Back in August, a NewsBusters analysis found that during the first seven months of 2025, “The View” failed to feature a single guest who promoted conservative or pro-Trump policies. 

The media watchdog group reported that the closest the show came to featuring a conservative perspective was hosting former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Vice President Harris supporter, who discussed liberal immigration reform. According to NewsBusters, the last time the all-female panel brought on someone to defend President Trump was in 2024, when former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu appeared.

“‘The View’ is not shy about the fact that what they say and do is all meant to push the agenda of the Democratic Party, whether it’s smearing Trump and his allies or specifically elevating Democratic politicians. It’s why they’ve only spoken to liberals about politics on the show so far this year,” an associate editor at NewsBusters, Nicholas Fondacaro, told Fox News. Mr. Fondacaro added that the show’s title “is more than a name. It’s how the show functions — only one view.”