Behind the Scenes of the Unpredictable Auditions for The View

After Barbara Walters had secured the daytime division’s stamp of approval for The View, she was missing just one key ingredient — her outspoken sidekicks. In the spring of 1997, she cast a wide net for the women who’d soon simply be known as “the ladies,” the coconspirators in her shenanigans. As Barbara came to announce every day in the show’s opening credits, she wanted The View to be multigenerational.

After Barbara Walters had secured the daytime division’s stamp of approval for The View, she was missing just one key ingredient — her outspoken sidekicks. In the spring of 1997, she cast a wide net for the women who’d soon simply be known as “the ladies,” the coconspirators in her shenanigans. As Barbara came to announce every day in the show’s opening credits, she wanted The View to be multigenerational.