ABC’s “The View” has apparently lifted its oft-criticized audience mask mandate three years into the pandemic, as the hosts acknowledged the crowd’s smiling faces Monday from the table.
Audience members for the New York-based program have had to don masks since the show returned to the studio in 2021. The audience wore masks during Friday’s episode of “The View” but on Monday, the hosts saw the mandate was gone.
“Look at y’all sitting up here with no masks on,” co-host Whoopi Goldberg said as the audience applauded. “Wait a minute now. So I’m talking and in my mind I’m going what is different about this audience? And then it hits me. No masks. Because I saw your smile and I saw your teeth. It’s like great. Well, yeah, we’re getting back to where we were.”
Co-host Hostin noted it was the “first day” and co-host Sara Haines said it was “nice to see their faces.”
It’s unclear why the show chose Monday to lift the requirement, although this month the state of emergency in New York is up. Critics of the show were amused at the mandate “finally” being lifted.
“Wow, ridiculous,” one user wrote in the comments.
“Now, mask the hosts,” another added.
“2 years after everybody else,” one shared.
“clown-show,” another commented.
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