It might be time to start panicking at ABC over “The View.”
Bill Wolff, who is reportedly the show’s new executive producer, just has a couple weeks to cast three new panelists before the new season starts on September 15.
“There seems to be some chaos, and lots of consternation,” one network insider told me.
With Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie O’Donnell the only on-air talent confirmed so far, “The View” needs to get younger and prettier, but there is concern over the likely hiring of October Gonzalez, the gorgeous wife of ex-NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez, a commentator on CBS’ “The NFL Today.”
“She has no TV experience,” the network insider said. “It’s freaking people out that she’s under serious consideration. We’re all for hot. We’re all for diversity. But we’re also for someone with a real shot at not flaming out after one season.”
October, who met Tony in 2002 in a bar in Newport Beach, Calif., was a singer before she had two children with him. She also had licenses in bartending and cosmetology.
The other leading contender for a spot on the panel is Nicolle Wallace, who was George W. Bush’s communications director. If O’Donnell couldn’t stand Elisabeth Hasselbeck, I can’t imagine how she’ll will stomach Wallace.
If it didn’t look like nepotism, and she weren’t under contract to “60 Minutes,” Wolff could hire his wife, Alison Stewart, whose impressive résumé includes stints at MTV, MSNBC and NPR. “She’s smart and attractive,” one source said. “She’d be perfect.”
Another candidate is Lauren Sanchez, mother of Tony Gonzalez’s first child and a former co-host of “Good Day LA.” I guess it helps to have a baby with Tony Gonzalez if you want to be on “The View.”
Others who have tested for the panel: bespectacled conservative S.E. Cupp, former John McCain campaign staffer Ana Navarro, Bloomberg TV managing editor Stephanie Ruhle; and ESPN anchor Sage Steele.
Said a network spokeswoman, “There is no chaos or consternation here. ABC has never confirmed or announced a new executive producer, how many hosts were being hired or who might potentially be under consideration.”