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Jenny McCarthy recalls being ‘miserable’ working with Barbara Walters on ‘The View’

Jenny McCarthy‘s time on “The View” was not what she expected.

As veteran journalist and “The View” co-creator Barbara Walters was facing retirement, the former Playboy model, 46, took a seat at the daytime talk show table in 2013. Expecting to be the pop culture and celebrity guru of the panel, she claims in a bombshell excerpt from Ramin Setoodeh’s upcoming book “Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of ‘The View,'” that the job — and working alongside icon Walters — quickly took a turn for the worse.

“Every day I went home and I was miserable,” McCarthy said in an excerpt obtained by Vulture. “It really was the most miserable I’ve been on a job in my 25 years of show business.”

Having appeared as a guest twice on the ABC show first — one occasion when Walters allegedly “blew up” at McCarthy backstage regarding her stance on vaccinations and another time when the 89-year-old was warm and wanted a signed copy of her book — McCarthy became a full-time co-host following the departure of Elisabeth Hasselbeck and as Walters’ time on the show was coming to an end.

“Imagine a woman like Barbara Walters,” McCarthy said. “It’s her last year and she doesn’t want to leave. Think about that. And I’m the new bitch there.”

Her pop culture expertise didn’t jibe well with Walters, who once asked McCarthy, “Who is Katy Perry?” after the seasoned journalist interviewed the pop star a week prior, according to the book. ABC brass stepped in and wanted McCarthy to step up her political opinions.

Whoopi Goldberg, Jenny McCarthy, Sherri Shepherd and Barbara Walters on "The View" in 2013.
Whoopi Goldberg, Jenny McCarthy, Sherri Shepherd and Barbara Walters on “The View” in 2013.ABC

“I was told, ‘We cannot do pop culture anymore because she doesn’t know who the people are,'” she said. “I panicked because I don’t consider myself a political person. My controversy is in vaccines. I know I’m not talking about that every day. Where do I stand on all the social issues and political issues?’”

In December, McCarthy also spoke about “The View” producers wanting her to get more political on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.”

In the book excerpt, she recalls times where she knew Walters was coming down the hallway and depending on the news vet’s pace, the actress would either pretend to be on the phone or “hide.” She said that the show’s longtime host blamed McCarthy for leaving a tampon in the toilet and would force her to change outfits before going on the air.

“I was going to work crying,” she admitted. “I couldn’t be myself. My fans were telling me, ‘Where’s Jenny? They aren’t letting you be you.’”

And in terms of seasoned Walters’ backstage behavior, McCarthy noted, “I’ve never seen a woman yell like that before until I worked with Barbara Walters.”

She also described the alleged increasing tension between Walters and Whoopi Goldberg, who vied for the moderator position on the panel, as the “Sister Act” star also knew the journalist was on her way out.

McCarthy said she tried to keep a positive outlook before departing from the show in 2014.

“I felt there was a little bit of hope,” she said. “I thought, maybe when Barbara leaves, the ratings will go up, because they kept saying the focus groups hated Barbara and that’s why they were forcing her into retirement.”

A rep for Walters had no comment.

The bombshell book, in which another former co-host, Rosie O’Donnell, reveals she was sexually abused by her father, is out on April 2.