‘The View’ Hosts Clash Over School Choice: ‘She’s Been Talking For 3 Minutes!’
The co-hosts of ABC’s The View had another fiery exchange this week while discussing President Donald Trump’s landmark election win and his administration’s early moves in office.
The conversation turned particularly intense when Sunny Hostin and Alyssa Farah Griffin clashed over the topic of school choice, especially regarding Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s role.
“When you hear about school choice, it’s really connected to the voucher system,” Hostin explained, expressing concern about how the Department of Education allocates its $18.4 billion budget for high-poverty K–12 schools. “Schools where kids are poor. Kids that grew up in neighborhoods like I grew up in the South Bronx projects.”
Hostin criticized the voucher system, saying, “The studies show very clearly that they fund students already attending private schools.” She continued, “So people with money get those vouchers, use the vouchers to pay less for their private schools and their kids go on to do well. Where do you get the money from vouchers? You pull that money from the poor schools.” She emphasized that “wealthy families are overwhelmingly the recipients of school voucher tax credits, I’m not making this up.”
She cited a 2020 study that revealed only half of states with voucher programs required teachers to have a bachelor’s degree, training, and certification to teach.
Griffin attempted to clarify the study’s source, but Hostin pressed on with her commentary.
“That’s just not my experience, if I may get in just to make it a conversation,” Griffin interjected while Hostin continued. She also noted, “I went to public school, I believe you got to go to private school,” referring to Hostin.
The exchange became increasingly chaotic, prompting co-host Whoopi Goldberg to intervene. “No one could understand what was being said,” Goldberg remarked, before cutting to a commercial break.
Frustrated, Griffin said, “I haven’t gotten a word in, she’s been talking for three minutes.”
When the show returned, Goldberg highlighted that the “beauty” of the program was in the diversity of its viewpoints.
Co-host Joy Behar added her own take on the national political climate. “We lost the election. We’re miserable. Half of this country is miserable. And let’s just tell the truth: We hate that he won. We hate it. And everybody is uptight and crazy right now.”
Hostin reiterated her skepticism of voucher programs, saying they don’t lead to better academic results and added, “That’s the truth.”
In response, Griffin shared her experiences working on the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program during her time in Congress. She argued that public funds should follow the student if parents feel their child is not thriving in their current school.
“It’s simply that a parent should be able to make the best choice for their student,” she said. “I also think that there are schools that are falling behind. It doesn’t mean they don’t deserve education, but I don’t think students should be victims of a falling-behind school. Their life is at stake, their future, their earning potential.”
Hostin reflected on her own upbringing, saying she grew up in the South Bronx and didn’t have access to a quality school system. “That’s the inequity,” she stated.
Griffin again asked, “Did you get to go to a private school?” to underscore her point.
As tensions escalated again, Goldberg threatened to end the debate for a second time.
Earlier this year, Sunny Hostin deactivated her account on X (formerly Twitter) following Trump’s election victory. She described her decision as a “patriotic” move.
Later, in an episode of the Behind The Table podcast, Hostin said she distanced herself from the platform because it’s owned by Elon Musk, a known supporter of Trump.