'The View' Claims Conservatives Won’t Appear, So Why Did The Show Reject Me Twice? | Riley Gaines

Joy Behar from The View made headlines this week for saying, "I think that we should have more Republicans on the show. But they don’t want to come on — they’re scared of us."

Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin and Joy Behar of 'The View'

If you’ve ever watched The View or seen its viral clips online, you probably don’t need me to explain why that couldn’t be further from the truth. What exactly is there to be scared of?

Having a good-faith conversation about how you can’t have a nation without secure borders? Explaining the moral and medical reality that children shouldn’t be mutilated in the name of ideology? Stating plainly what a woman is and why men cannot become one? Discussing how eliminating crime in major cities benefits everyone? Or reminding Americans that it is our government’s job to prioritize its citizens before those who enter illegally?

These are all easily defendable positions if you have an ounce of common sense and honesty. Until relatively recent years, they actually would have been considered the default positions for BOTH political parties.

As someone who has personally been turned away by The View, I would like to make something clear: conservatives aren’t scared of Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, or anyone else on that panel.

ATLANTA - University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas and Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines react after finishing tied for 5th in the 200 Freestyle finals at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 18, 2022 at the McAuley Aquatic Center. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

In June of 2024, I was pitched to join The View to debate the fairness of allowing men to compete in women’s sports and to discuss my national bestselling book, Swimming Against the Current. The show’s response?

"Thx, will keep in mind"

Not exactly a serious invitation. And honestly, it was exactly what I expected.

A few months later, in March of this year, The View hosted Dylan Mulvaney (the grossly theatrical man who performatively cosplays womanhood) to promote his new book. The hosts gushed and fawned over him as he lamented how difficult it is when people "don’t view him as a woman."

Dylan Mulvaney. (Credit: Getty Images)

Whoopi Goldberg even asked Mulvaney about California Governor Gavin Newsom’s "deeply unfair" comments regarding men in women’s sports. Mulvaney’s misogynistic answer? Since he wasn’t good at sports, he didn’t see what the big deal was.

That’s precisely the problem. Dylan is neither a woman nor an athlete. So why not ask that same question to someone who actually is…like me?

After seeing this interview, I wanted to be pitched for the show again.

"Saw you had Dylan on yesterday -- would you want Riley?"

The response was a colorful variation of what I had received nearly a year earlier.
"Will keep in mind, thx"

And I’m not the only one. The View has also declined or ignored invitations to have conservatives like Matt Walsh, Senator Ted Cruz, Michael Knowles, Jen Sey, and OutKick founder Clay Travis.

So, no. Conservatives aren’t scared of The View. The View is scared of conservatives.

I’ve done plenty of shows with tough questions from journalists who don’t share my worldview. I’ve debated activists and professors on some of the most liberal (and sometimes violent) college campuses in the country. I welcome that. Real dialogue doesn’t scare people with real conviction. It strengthens arguments and exposes the truth.

Let’s also remember: The View is part of ABC News, which operates under the network’s news division. That matters. Because when a show under a major news brand only features left-wing propaganda, it’s not just entertainment — it’s an information problem.

George Stephanopoulos, ABC News. (Photo by Lorenzo Bevilaqua/ABC via Getty Images)

Millions of Americans tune in each day believing they’re getting informed. Instead, they’re getting half the story, told by people who ridicule and namecall anyone who dares to tell the other half.

We’ve seen what happens when dissenting voices are silenced whether by the media, academia, corporate America, or any other powerful institution shaping our lives.

Americans lose trust, division grows, and basic truths become politicized. Whether it’s about biology, faith, or free speech, the national conversation suffers when only one side gets airtime.

Charlie Kirk understood this well. He lived by it. His approach was simple: "Prove me wrong." He welcomed real debate because truth doesn’t fear questions.

Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA. (Photo by Michael Ho Wai Lee/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

And when they couldn’t prove him wrong through discourse and debate? They assassinated him.

And today, we’re seeing more conservative personalities and Republican elected officials ready to do the same. 

Congressman and gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds is just one of many who publicly said he’d have no problem appearing on The View.  Outkick’s founder Clay Travis posted "I’m happy to come by for a visit. @BuckSexton is too. Where is our invite? Look forward to it!"

I wouldn’t hold my breath for the show to take them up on that offer. But if they did, it might just deliver The View its best ratings in years.

If The View really wants to live up to its name, it should start by allowing more than one.