All hell broke loose behind the scenes at ABC. It started with a televised accusation and ended with a furious political staffer threatening access.
An aide to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani reportedly went ballistic on network executives. The trigger? Sara Haines, co-host of “The View,” openly branded a Mamdani-backed socialist congressional hopeful an antisemite on live television.
Mamdani is riding high. He recently flexed his progressive muscle when three of his endorsed candidates—Brad Lander, Claire Valdez, and Darializa Avila Chevalier—trounced establishment Democrats in the primaries. Naturally, his team wanted to parade these fresh faces on daytime TV. They pitched “The View.” The show’s producers said no.
Then came the June 24 broadcast. Co-hosts Alyssa Farah Griffin and Sara Haines took aim at Mamdani’s roster. Haines zeroed in on Chevalier, pointing out her presence at an anti-Israel rally on October 8, 2023—just hours after Hamas slaughtered Israeli civilians.
“I’m gonna full-blown call her an antisemite,” Haines declared on air. “She would proudly call herself that, trust me.”
The blowback was instant.
According to sources, Mamdani’s aide contacted ABC brass and let them have it. The staffer warned that Haines’s commentary would freeze the network out. No access to the mayor. No access to his rising political stars.
Neither City Hall nor ABC responded to requests for comment.
Chevalier was already a lightning rod. She recently scrubbed her social media history, but the internet remembers. Deleted posts revealed her praising Karl Marx, lamenting the lack of communist literature in public libraries, and quoting convicted cop killer Assata Shakur. Other deleted gems featured her calling to abolish the police and joking about wiping her hands on the American flag.
This drama unfolds as “The View” quietly retreats from the political arena. The show is currently sweating an FCC inquiry regarding “equal time” rules.
ABC insiders claim the show has always maintained a high bar for non-elected candidates. While historically friendly to Democrats, the couch has hosted Republicans, including JD Vance.
Disney is fighting back. They argue “The View” is a legitimate news program and should be exempt from equal-time regulations. They even launched an on-air campaign urging viewers to petition the FCC. The message was simple: keep the government out of our booking decisions.
