ABC News' "The View" has reportedly become more cautious about booking political guests as the daytime talk show remains under scrutiny from the Federal Communications Commission over federal equal time rules.
According to a report from Semafor, the ongoing FCC inquiry has prompted the program to be more selective with political appearances after Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico appeared on the show earlier this year.
The FCC opened its investigation as part of a broader review of equal time requirements for political candidates.
ABC maintains that "The View" qualifies as a bona fide news interview program, making it exempt from those rules.
Since Talarico's appearance, the program has not featured candidates running in competitive 2026 midterm races.
Semafor reported that the inquiry has caused the show to "hedge" its guest bookings.
An ABC source told the outlet that "The View" has historically set a high standard for political interviews and is not widely known for inviting non-elected political candidates.
The report also said representatives for New York politician Zohran Mamdani sought appearances for congressional candidates Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez, both of whom received Mamdani's endorsement and recently won Democratic primary elections.
According to Semafor, the show declined to book them.
The candidates have also drawn criticism from some of the program's own hosts.
During one discussion, co-host Sara Haines criticized Chevalier, saying, "I'm gonna full-blown call her an antisemite. She would proudly call herself that, trust me."
As the FCC review continues, ABC has launched an on-air campaign encouraging viewers to support the show's position.
A commercial that debuted Monday urges viewers to sign a petition declaring that "The View" should be recognized as a bona fide news interview program.
The advertisement tells viewers, "'The View' has welcomed your favorite guests for nearly 30 years. Now the FCC wants to control who is allowed to appear on the show. Tell the FCC to let the viewers decide. You have until July 6th."
"The View" has long featured a guest lineup that leans heavily toward Democratic politicians and commentators, while its hosts frequently criticize President Donald Trump.
The show expanded its Republican guest list in 2026, welcoming Vice President JD Vance, former Trump attorney Alina Habba and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Many Republican appearances also came during Alyssa Farah Griffin's maternity leave, when guest hosts regularly filled her seat.
According to the Media Research Center, the program hosted 102 left-leaning guests and no conservative guests during the first seven months of 2025.