Top executives of ABC News and network parent company Disney, including CEO Bob Iger, told the hosts of "The View" to tone down their bashing of President Donald Trump, guidance they ignored, the Daily Beast reported.
ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic first convened a meeting with the hosts and the show's executive producer, suggesting they lean more into celebrity interviews and temper the political rhetoric, according to the report.
Separately, Iger reaffirmed to "The View" co-host Ana Navarro that they should restrain the Trump-bashing, according to the report.
However, neither Iger nor Karamehmedovic framed their feedback as an edict and the women who comprise the panel talk show — Navarro, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, and Alyssa Farah Griffin — dismissed the requests as "silly" and decided "to keep doing their thing," the Daily Beast reported.
Further, the feedback rankled the hosts, according to the report.
The New York Post previously reported that Brian Teta, executive producer of "The View," spoke to staffers of the show back in January about "going easy" on the Trump criticism ahead of the inauguration on Jan. 20.
The Daily Beast reported a network source as saying ABC will "constantly have conversations with talent based on viewer feedback, and this instance was no different," implying viewers want the show to be less political, according to the report.
ABC settled a lawsuit with Trump in December after anchor George Stephanopoulos mischaracterized a civil verdict as Trump being "liable for rape" instead of the correct ruling of sexual abuse. Disney agreed to pay $15 million to Trump's presidential library and $1 million in legal fees.
The Daily Beast's story comes amid reported internal turmoil at CBS News over Trump's $20 billion lawsuit dating to the October "60 Minutes" interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris that Trump claimed was "doctored" and deceitfully edited to make Harris sound better.
It led to the resignation of CBS News chief Wendy McMahon earlier this week amid reports that CBS parent company Paramount Global is pursuing a settlement with Trump.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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