ABC, the Disney darling that’s dominated daytime drama for decades, has detonated a daytime dynasty disaster by pulling the plug on The View—replacing the Emmy-winning gabfest with a Charlie Kirk tribute hour in a move that’s got Hollywood howling and the entertainment empire teetering on its throne. On September 25, 2025, execs dropped the “stunning announcement” amid a ratings rampage where Fox crushed cable (14 of 15 top shows), declaring they’d “had enough of these toxic hens” – a leaked memo blasting Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, and crew as “divisive divas” whose “endless outrage” alienated advertisers. The replacement? For God and Ratings: The Charlie Kirk Hour, a daily extravaganza honoring the conservative activist slain September 10, 2025, by Tyler Robinson at Utah Valley University, with holographic Kirk “descending on angel wings” holding a Constitution and Chick-fil-A sandwich, per Variety‘s scoop. “Business gamble or political pandering? Both,” insiders whisper, tying to FCC chair Brendan Carr’s Kimmel license threats and Sinclair/Nexstar’s boycott (70 markets blacked out Jimmy Kimmel Live! for “hate speech”). The “fallout”? Ferocious: #BoycottABC blasts 15 million posts, with Whoopi thundering, “They silenced Jimmy – now us? Kiss our ass!”
The revolt’s roots? Rotten: The View‘s 2.5 million average dipped 15% post-Kimmel (September 15 monologue tying MAGA to Kirk’s killer), with Behar’s “hens clucking” quip in the memo a dagger to the “carefully crafted chaos.” Goldberg’s war cry—”No one silences us!” (September 22 episode)—now rings hollow, as the panel’s “push for tears” formula (Variety’s September 26 leak) backfires into backlash. Pompeo (Grey’s) and Hough (DWTS) defect to NBC in $15M pacts, citing “corporate cowards.” “Hollow promises – we choose voice,” Whoopi vowed at a September 26 presser, flanked by Sunny Hostin and Sara Haines. The Kirk show? A calculated coup: Sinclair’s “tribute special” (YouTube pivot September 22 after backlash) morphs into daily dose, with Kirk’s Turning Point USA as “consultant,” promising “professionalism and accountability.” Trump Truth-Socialed triumph: “Great News for America – hens out, heroes in!”
The consequences? Cataclysmic: ABC’s Q4 ad revenue projected to plunge 30%, The View‘s void filled by For God and Ratings eyeing 2 million (Kirk’s YouTube pull 1.5M). NBC’s Today demos up 15%, Peacock subs spiking 25% on defectors. “Power play or panic?” THR thunders, Iger’s memo raging “betrayal on a biblical scale,” lawsuits looming for “non-competes.” Socials seethe: #ViewVindicated roars “Revolt of the righteously raged!” vs. “Toxic takedown – Kirk’s karma!” The “what led them”? Censorship scars: Behar’s axed Trump takedowns (2024 “optics”), Hostin’s benched Biden blasts. The “lure”? NBC’s “liberty clauses,” $20M for Whoopi, $15M for Pompeo.
This isn’t talent tantrum; it’s a tectonic shift, ABC’s “kiss our ass” uprising a requiem for rigid regimes. The stars’ stand? Seismic. The industry’s inferno? Ignited. September 25? Not news—a new era. Fans flood with fealty; the fallout? Ferocious. ABC’s altar? Altared. NBC’s nest? Nesting. The revolt? Relentless. The future? Freed.
