Utter chaos breaks out backstage at The View over Jimmy Kimmel: Hosts at war and staff in fear… as network bosses impose strict new ‘rule’

Panic has set in behind the scenes at The View amid Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension at ABC, with insiders claiming that hosts are at loggerheads and staff are concerned about censorship – and the future of their jobs.

It comes as FCC chair Brendan Carr, whose threats to revoke ABC affiliate licenses led to Kimmel’s show being pulled off air, said this afternoon that The View could be next. 

Earlier today, presenters Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, and Alyssa Farah Griffin made no reference to their network’s decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! ‘indefinitely’ over his comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Instead, the women focused their attention on the Epstein files investigation and ousted CDC Director Susan Monarez’s testimony about RFK Jr, much to the frustration of viewers who speculated they had been giving ‘marching orders’ from above.

Production sources have since broken their silence to describe the alleged pandemonium on set. 

One insider claimed to the Daily Mail that the hosts are in disagreement over how to handle the network’s scandal, as some want to speak out but also don’t want to risk getting canceled themselves. 

Another has claimed that staffers are concerned about censorship and having to bow to particular demands to keep bosses, and the Trump administration, happy.

‘There’s definitely a difficult dynamic going on,’ one source told Daily Mail.

‘The View is not going to discuss Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension because they’re at the same network. They’re not going to trash their own.

‘It’s a general rule at ABC not to trash other shows.’

Sinclair Inc., whose local stations pay to run ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, said on Wednesday night that it will refrain from broadcasting Kimmel’s show indefinitely.

The move came after Carr, chair of broadcast regulator, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), threatened to act against ABC and its parent company Disney over Kimmel’s comments.

‘ABC as a whole is being attacked – not just The View,’ the source continued. ‘The FCC is coming for all of them.

‘There’s panic across the board, but obviously with more politically based shows than the entertainment ones.

‘Sinclair made it nearly impossible for Jimmy Kimmel to return because they’re asking for him to make donations, public apologies – all these things that they know he won’t do.

‘They’re pushing him into a space where the show is over.’

They continued: ‘Behind the scenes, staff are scared for their jobs. It’s a scary time. They’re really concerned. People are holding their breath. 

‘Those who work in the media industry have been in fear for a while now, but last night’s news, you can say it has heightened their fear.

‘Some shows used to be without censorship, but now after Kimmel’s suspension, they’re going to have to be extra careful about what they say on national TV.’ 

Another production staffer is so worried about the future of the network that they have already packed up their personal belongings.

‘People are worried,’ they told Daily Mail.

‘I’m taking a lot of my personal stuff home tonight because who knows what’s going to happen and I want to be able to make a quick exit if I need to. Grab my coat and go.’

A third production source claimed The View panel do not want to rock the boat by speaking out on Kimmel.

Instead, they allege that the hosts want to stay out of the drama and not give the network a reason to suspend them too.

Speaking to Daily Mail, the source said: ‘The women of The View are more surprised that they haven’t been taken off the air already.

‘There was a very big assumption to let it be and not make a big deal out of it since this is all happening in their backyard, so to speak.

‘The women already get themselves in hot water over everything else they say, so they aren’t looking to invite more drama into the show with the low-hanging fruit of Jimmy Kimmel.

‘Some are going to be on his side, some aren’t, but if they talk about it, that will give ABC another reason to suspend them as well.

‘The panelists at The View want to see where all of this goes before they make mention of it, because they don’t want to be locked in the crosshairs of it all.

‘They chose to avoid the controversy for their wellbeing, and they will all see where everything stands next week when the dust settles. Nobody is looking to fight the system just yet.’

Kimmel’s suspension comes after comments he made about Donald Trump and the late right-wing activist Kirk during Monday’s episode.

During the controversial episode, he said: ‘The MAGA Gang are desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.’

The late-night host also poked fun at President Donald Trump’s reaction to the shooting.

‘This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend,’ he said. ‘This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.’

Shortly after ABC announced Kimmel had been suspended on Wednesday night, Trump said: ‘The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED.

‘Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.’

Today, the president sensationally claimed that Kimmel was taken off the air ‘for lack of talent.’

Earlier, it was reported that Kimmel won’t be allowed back on air by Sinclair unless he makes a donation to Turning Point USA, the nonprofit organization founded by Kirk that advocates for conservative politics on high school, college, and university campuses.

According to one source, however, Kimmel has no desire to write a check.

‘If Jimmy apologizes and gives any money to Turning Point USA it will be a complete defeat for Jimmy and those close to him,’ they said.

‘He has no urge to do that at all. He is going to continue to fight. He feels terrible for the people that work on his show because he will be OK at the end of the day; they might not if they lose their job though.

‘But as of right now, and for the foreseeable future, if he never returned to ABC, he would be absolutely OK with that.’

According to the insider, Jimmy is upset with the whole ordeal, and would only return to ‘see the people who work for him be OK’. 

‘ABC right now is completely dead to Jimmy,’ they continued. ‘For everything he has done for ABC, to host the Oscars and champion the company for years to get here is the biggest slap in the face of his entire life and career.

‘He wants to go elsewhere and is actively looking to get out of his contract,’ the source said.

Celebrities across the country have voiced their fury over the controversial move, with many concerned about what it means for freedom of speech.

On this morning’s episode of the Today show, Hollywood actor Jason Bateman predicted that a reckoning could be on the horizon.

‘Well, it’s troubling to say the least,’ the A-list star said. ‘And we all have to really take a moment and figure how we feel about this type of thing.

‘Especially, people doing what you do.

‘I’m sure there’s going to be some sort of collective move to respond to this, but I’m not smart enough or powerful enough to be the one to do it but I imagine there’s plenty of conversations going on to do something, because you just can’t stand by and let stuff like that go on.’