How a daytime talk show became one of the most important voices in the election

"There was a major reason to come back. Last year was a different show, and the people who are in charge this year wanted it to be more political and sharper, just smart. So I said, 'All right, I'm in.' And why not? There are very few jobs like this."

That's how Joy Behar explains her return to ABC's daytime talk show "The View." She walked away for two seasons and thought she was done for good, but the lure of the show's open forum and the 2016 election proved too strong.

"By the time I left, I had had enough," the 73-year-old comedian told Business Insider. "But then I took off two years and wrote a solo show that I performed Off-Broadway, and I started to get into writing and more creative endeavors, and then this came back. It came back just in the nick of this election and it was an offer I couldn't refuse."

Just renewed for a 20th season, the show has reached back to its roots this season, reinvigorating the political commentary during its "Hot Topics" segment and bringing on notable presidential hopefuls from Donald Trump to Bernie Sanders in unusually conversational, off-the-cuff interviews.

In a year in which the female vote could prove decisive for several reasons - among them Hillary's historic attempt to become the first female president, all while struggling to attract young female voters, and Democrats' opportunity to steal away moderate female voters turned off by Republicans' stance on abortion rights - "The View" has positioned itself as a leading forum. 

After a turbulent 2015, the election has helped lift ratings for "The View," especially in the key demographic of women ages 25-45. It's also inspired Donald Trump and Carly Fiorina to take shots at the primarily-liberal, all-female hosts. Fiorina accused them of sexist double standards, while Trump, after being criticized by the show, tweeted his assessment: "Whoopi Goldberg is terrible. Very sad!"

But for "The View," this is all good news.

 

"When you talk to longtime 'View' fans, what you hear most was the heyday for a lot of people was the 2008 election," co-executive producer Brian Teta told BI. "That was kind of a momentous time in 'The View's' history. I think what's happening now is hearkening back to that a little bit."

Here's how "The View" has made itself a central part of the political conversation: