In a conversation on the Behind the Tablepodcast, Sara Haines, co-host of ABC’s The View, opened up about the challenging periods she faced both on and off the daytime talk show.
The 46-year-old television personality spoke with executive producer Brian Teta about the highs and lows of her career, shedding light on the struggles she endured during the two years she was off The View co-anchoring GMA3: Strahan, Sara, & Keke from 2018 to 2020.
Haines shared that the cancelation of her show with co-hosts Keke Palmer and Michael Strahan marked a low point in her career. “I was in a dark place, and when you’re depressed, you can’t distinguish reality from your created narratives,” she revealed.
The turbulence during her time on Strahan, Sara, and Keke took a toll on her mental health, and the loss of the show left her mourning the loss of a dream she had cherished.
“Working with Michael Strahan and eventually Keke Palmer, I miss them all the time,” Haines confessed. “The laughter, the joy, even the staff. But the show didn’t really have a chance out the gates. We fumbled, all of us, through the whole thing.”
Adding to her challenges, Haines disclosed that she discovered she was pregnant unexpectedly and faced major postpartum depression while trying to salvage the struggling show just six weeks after giving birth in 2019. As coronavirus began to spread in the United States, the show was turned into a pandemic-focused program anchored by Amy Robach and ultimately became GMA3: What You Need to Know. The overhaul of the program in 2020 left Haines shocked and mourning the dream she had always harbored.
“My friends that did my hair and makeup, they remember vividly, I don’t remember many days where I wasn’t crying in my dressing room,” she shared emotionally, reflecting on the difficult times behind the scenes. Haines clarified that her tears were due to feeling “invisible” and how the narratives in the press didn’t accurately reflect what was happening off-camera.
Despite the challenges, when offered the chance to return to The View during the pandemic, Haines expressed gratitude. However, she admitted feeling like “a shell of myself” compared to her previous co-hosting stint, struggling with self-imposed expectations.
“I was so tense that day that I didn’t know if I’d remember how to do my job,” she confessed. “I had become really invisible in those two years in my own mind, through the depressions and stuff. I couldn’t have even told you what my talent was.”
Haines acknowledged the value of the relationships she built with Palmer and Strahan during her time on their show, emphasizing that it contributed to her sense of security upon returning to television. She emphasized that the lows and valleys in her career brought a newfound fearlessness, which she now sees as a source of strength and resilience.
“I think a lot of that came from hitting kind of a rock bottom for myself professionally,” she explained.
As The View has held the No. 1 spot for four seasons, Teta credited Haines for her contribution to the show’s success. Haines, in response, noted the incredible range and perspective the show offers, celebrating the diversity of viewpoints at the table.
“How lucky am I though?” she asked, highlighting her appreciation for the unpredictable nature of the industry. “That stuff doesn’t line up in this business, and to go through all of that and then not know what was next or coming?”
