News
‘The View’ Alum, Meghan McCain, On Why Daytime Talk Shows are Being Canceled: ‘They are Sublimely Boring and All the Hosts Want to be Loved’
Meghan McCain was a co-host on The View for four seasons, appearing from October 2017 until her final episode in August 2021. Hired to provide a conservative voice, she announced her departure in July 2021. In actuality, McCain left with two years remaining on her contract, and her time on the ABC morning talk show was marked by contentious and highly-publicized moments with co-hosts Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg.
This past week saw the daytime television talk shows in 2026 have a major shake-up with more exit predictions forthcoming. First, Kelly Clarkson confirmed that The Kelly Clarkson Show is concluding after its current 7th season. Clarkson’s show is expected to end its run in the fall.
On the heels of Clarkson’s show deciding to wrap, came word that Debmar-Mercury, the producers and syndicators of comedian Sherri Shepherd’s talk show, Sherri has been canceled in its present form. Sherri will continue to air through its 4th and final season until the fall.

Courtesy/ABC
There have been reports that The Jennifer Hudson Show may be the next to go, and that she and the show’s producer’s, were already told they would end after their current 4th season. Overall, the decline of the daytime talkers are said to be because the economics to keep these types of shows going just do not work anymore.
Taking to her account on X, Meghan McCain has a different perspective on why daytime talk shows are having a demise, “The reason all these daytime talk shows are being canceled is because they are sublimely boring and all the hosts want to be loved,” said McCain. “Wendy Williams was the GOAT because she said the quiet things we all were thinking out loud. She was messy, raw, real and wildly entertaining.”
Does Megan have a point? The daytime talk show canvas ate up the soap operas for a long time. Have they become so passe, with no excitement? Was Wendy Williams the best talk show queen of them all? Sadly, Williams had been diagnosed with Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) and primary progressive aphasia back in 2023, although recent evaluations have noted her dementia diagnosis may not have been correct. Williams also battles Graves’ disease and lymphedema. Wendy Williams last appearance on her talk show was back on July 16, 2021, for the Season 12 finale. Her talk show came to an end in 2022 without her present.
So, do you agree with Meghan McCain? Are your favorite talk shows boring as well as the hosts? Do you think the end of many talks shows, could open the doors to a soap resurgence given the launch of Beyond the Gates? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
The reason all these daytime talk shows are being canceled is because they are sublimely boring and all the hosts want to be loved.
Wendy Williams was the GOAT because she said the quiet things we all were thinking out loud. She was messy, raw, real and wildly entertaining.
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) February 6, 2026
I’m didn’t think I would agree with anything that comes from her, but I think the talk show genre has changed for the worst in the past 10 years. I miss the days of Donahue and Oprah Winfrey, who didn’t;t have celeb-focused interviews every day. Back then, we learned about subjects that have be taboo to discuss.
I would love to see “All My Children” come back. If soaps are not the answer, I would like to see a few more game shows. Locally, all we are getting is HOURS of news that basically says the same thing over and over.
Did she manage to get through this subject without saying “Do you know who my daddy is”?
Right!
Exactly.
She’s just jealous because no one loved her on The View and wouldn’t let it become Meghan’s View or My Dad, John McCain’s, View.
It’s not like The View is any sort of lovable group. She’s not wrong. Just a bunch of narcissistic morons.
The expansion of the morning shows with their 3rd and 4th hours of news and light entertainment killed the talk shows. You are watching the same news, features and celebrities all day long. It’s mind numbing after 12pm. At least the soaps change the topic.
That part right there.
Being well liked by the populace is something Meghan doesn’t need to worry about. She ought to start her own talk show with that other insufferable jerk, Megyn Kelly. They could call it “ The Meghan and Megyn Hate Show.”
Please mention NutMeg ever again. I liked all three shows – similar in tone but with different personalities because of the hosts. I say this with zero knowledge, talk show WERE cheaper but it seems like they have let the budgets skyrocket and the media landscape has changed.
Her Dad was classy, but she is not.
some talk shows are sublimely boring and Megan mccain is sublimely annoying, so there you go.
Beyond the Gates
RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers

The latest ratings are out for the week of October 26-30, 2026 and the big takeaways include: that CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates was separated by only 23,000 viewers behind third place (of the soaps) General Hospital! For the last several weeks, Beyond the Gates has been closing the gap on this year’s winner for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, and continuing to best GH in the key demos.
According to the latest Nielsen ratings breakdown from Soap Opera Network, the final week of October brought Beyond the Gates 1.790 million on average tuning-in and the show set a season high in total viewers. Meanwhile, General Hospital hit a new season low! The long-running ABC soap had 1.813 million for the week, and once again the series did not go over the 2 million mark.
Meanwhile, in the key Women 18-49 demo, Beyond the Gates was firmly ahead of GH with a rating share of 0.21, while General Hospital had 0.17 rating share.Then, in the key Women 25-54 demo, Beyond the Gates was once again ahead of the ABC soap with a ratings share for that demo at 0.30 while GH came in with 0.26.

Photo: CBS
MORE BY THE NUMBERS
In addition and comparatively, Beyond the Gates +22,000 viewers week-to-week, and had the largest gains in viewership year-to-year in daytime TV with +267,000 from this in 2025.. However, General Hospital seems to be going in reverse. The show was down -56,000 viewers week-over-week and down -22,000 year-over-year .
BEYOND THE GATES
Let’s take a look at some of the storylines that had people tuning-in to Beyond the Gates during the ratings week:
Hayley (Marquita Goings) attempted a massive shocker regarding her pregnancy and tried to use it to extract money from Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett). Although, Bill saw right through her game, he demanded a paternity test, and made it clear he has no intention of raising the child—planning instead to pay her off to take the baby and leave. Meanwhile, Hayley confided her plan to her cousin Randy (Maurice P. Kerry).
Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) and Naomi Hamilton (Arielle Prepetit) clashed over Jacob’s ongoing investigation into The Impaler, causing significant strain in their marriage. At the same time, Smitty (Mike Manning) considered taking matters into his own hands—including potentially heading to Mexico for evidence—while Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) worried about what comes next.

Photo: ABC
GENERAL HOSPITAL
Over at General Hospital for the ratings period, the story served up included:
Carly (Laura Wright) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) teamed up to investigate what really happened to Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna). Later, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) leads them to Jack’s dead body.
Jude (Wil Traval) dropped a bombshell claim to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn); that he is Phoebe’s father, while Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) signed their divorce papers.
Then, Danny caught Rocco (Finn Carr) and Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarski) sharing a kiss, plus the shocking return of Heather Webber (Alley Mills) capped the week.
Now the questions become; without having much promotional synergy in the ABC day-part to draw more eyeballs it is not helping but hurting General Hospital. It seems Beyond the Gates is also a benefactor of a one-two-three punch of CBS soaps (Y&R, B&B and BTG) and promotion.
However, that still doesn’t take away the fact that Beyond the Gates is close to besting GH in all ratings category as they go head-to-head in some markets across the country.
So, are you excited to see Beyond the Gates climb in the ratings? Are you concerned for General Hospital? Do you think they can stave off Beyond the Gates in total viewers or will the upstart soap overtake them in the next ratings report? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
General Hospital
Antonio Sabáto Jr. Breaks Silence on His Son’s Arrest for Fatal Hit-and-Run

Antonio Sabáto Jr., the former Jagger Cates of General Hospital and GH: Night Shift, and the former Dante Damiano of The Bold and the Beautiful has issued his first public statement since the incident involving his son, Jack’s arrest in Alaska for a fatal hit-and-run.
Jack is the son of Sabáto Jr. and Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, and according to court documents obtained by KTUU Jack, was allegedly driving a white Chevy Tahoe when he hit and killed Carl Simmonds, 42, near an intersection in Anchorage around 5:35 a.m. on Monday, November 9.
The reports indicated that Jack fled the scene — but later decided to called the cops to say he hit “something” that “suddenly appeared in the road” while he was “doing late-night DoorDashing.”

Photo: NBC
Now, Antonio has taken to his Instagram breaking his silence on the situation, sharing, “At this time, my family and I are navigating an extremely sensitive and deeply personal matter.”
He added, “As a father, my love for my children remains unconditional, and my priority is the well-being of my family. We ask that the public and members of the media honor our privacy during this difficult time and keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.”
The soap alum concluded, “I also wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the gentleman who tragically lost his life. My thoughts and prayers are with them as well. We sincerely appreciate your compassion, understanding, and respect for the privacy of everyone affected.”
Jack Sabáto was arraigned in court on Tuesday, November 10 with bail set at $5,000, and a no-driving order and the potential of $5,000 penalty fees if he fails to attend future court appearances.
Antonio is the father to Jack, 34, daughter, Mina Sabato, 24 and son, Antonio Sabáto III, 15.
This is a developing story. You can check out Antonio’s official statement below.
So, let us know your thoughts on this tragic hit-and-run, which claimed the life of another man, and Antonio’s statement, via the comment section below.
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Breaking News
‘Days of our Lives’ Veteran James Reynolds Reveals Parkinson’s Diagnosis
Days of our Lives long-running cast member James Reynolds revealed on the November 10 edition of Entertainment Tonight that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and his character of Abe Carver will now be going through an on-screen Parkinson’s battle as well.
Speaking with ET’s Nischelle Turner, the 80-year-old actor and Daytime Emmy winner shared how he attempted to hide the warning signs dating back to 15-20 years ago when he would have, “What they call the hallucinations. My wife (Lissa) would say, ‘You were hitting me last night in bed,’ and I would say, ‘What?!’ I was having these really horrible dreams.” Reynolds also added that he realized falling out of bed was an early symptom of Parkinson’s too.
Discussing the on-going tremors that have become more noticeable over time especially in hands, James shared that when he finally told the Days of our Lives cast they were nothing but “extraordinarily helpful and supportive.”

Photo: ET
SCREEN LIFE TO MIRROR REAL LIFE
Now with DAYS about to launch into Abe’s Parkinson’s storyline, Reynolds hopes that he can turn his experience into something positive by encouraging others facing the disease to keep fighting. During the sit-down, Reynolds co-star Jackée Harry (Paulina Price) recalls her reaction to learning of Reynolds’ real-life diagnosis and how she has continued to search for new treatments to inform James about.
Although Parkinson’s disease currently has no cure, there are medications and treatments can help those manage symptoms and improve quality of life. The condition progresses at a different pace from individual to individual.
As discussed in his conversation with ET, Reynolds cited Michael J. Fox and Alan Alda as two high-profile celebrities who have brought awareness to the disease.

Photo: JPI
In story on DAYS, Abe in recent weeks had been experiencing tremors which led to seek help and a diagnosis Dr. Kayla Johnson (Mary Beth Evans). Soon Abe and others will find out of his battle with Parkinson’s. Although on the promo for this week’s DAYS, Abe is seen telling Kayla, that he will do something, “when the time is right.”
James Reynolds is one of the most prolific performers, being the longest-running Black Actor in a role on a television series, not to mention his aforementioned Lead Actor Daytime Emmy win in 2018, and being inducted in 2025 into the Daytime Emmy Gold and Silver Society of honorees.
You can check out James’ in-depth conversation on his Parkinson’s diagnosis below.
Share your thoughts for James after learning of his health battle, and what do you think of Days of our Lives incorporating the disease into Abe Carver’s Salem storyline? Let us know in the comment section.
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