ABC is in the midst of reshuffling its West Coast daytime division, TheWrap has learned exclusively.
Daytime chief Lisa Hackner is in talks for a possible new role at the company, sources close to the situation say, while her top lieutenants Sheila Bouttier and Jill Mullikan-Bates are likely leaving.
Hackner has served as executive vice president of daytime and syndicated programming at ABC since 2013, overseeing mainly shows on the West Coast, including the soap “General Hospital.”
Hackner and her team were also behind “FABLife” (pictured), a daytime talk show with Tyra Banks and Chrissy Teigen that premiered last year. But the series got low ratings and was axed earlier this year. “FABLife” was on life support for months, especially after Banks announced mid-season that she was leaving the show.
Hackner previously worked at Telepictures Productions, the Warner Bros. syndication unit, where she helped develop series such as “TMZ” and “The Tyra Banks Show.” Bouttier and Mullikan-Bates worked at Telepictures during the same period.
Paul Lee, then the president of ABC Entertainment Group, brought Hackner aboard in 2013 to help revamp the network’s daytime programming from the West Coast. But development had proceeded slowly, one insider said, and the “FABLife” bust did not help. Earlier this year, Lee left the network after reported power struggles with his boss, Disney/ABC Television Group President Ben Sherwood.
Shortly after Lee exited, Rebecca Campbell, ABC’s stations boss, saw her role expanded to include oversight of the network’s daytime programming.
An ABC spokesperson had no comment. Hackner did not return a call placed to her office on the Disney lot.
Meanwhile, ABC is facing flux in its daytime lineup, most of which originates in New York. The network recently moved Michael Strahan from “Live” to “Good Morning America.” The search for a co-host for Kelly Ripa on “Live” continues. ABC News controls “GMA” as well as “The View,” while the syndicated “Live” originates from ABC owned-and-operated station WABC-TV.
9 Outrageous Whoopi Goldberg Moments on 'The View' (Videos)
Defending Bill Cosby
When actress Barbara Bowman came forward in 2014 accusing Bill Cosby of rape, Goldberg expressed skepticism and came to his defense. "I’m going to reserve my judgments because I have a lot of questions,” she said.
Clash with Carly Fiorina
When 2016 presidential candidate Carly Fiorina appeared on “The View” after calling the hosts out for making fun of her looks, Goldberg accused her of manufacturing a “fake feud” to raise her own profile. Fiorina quickly shot back that the show was doing the same by promoting the highly anticipated interview.
Walk-off
In 2010, when “The View” played host to Fox News star Bill O’Reilly, Goldberg and co-host Joy Behar famously walked off the show. The conversation erupted into a shouting match when O’Reilly said, “Muslims killed us on 9/11.” Behar said she couldn’t sit next to O’Reilly because she was so “outraged,” and was joined in her walk-off by Goldberg.
Arguing racism with Rosie O’Donnell
When Rosie O’Donnell returned to “The View” in 2014, rumors swirled about tension between the two comics. One of their frequent on-air clashes came in December when Goldberg told O’Donnell she can’t understand racism as a white woman. “Listen, you are a white lady telling me what is racist to you, which is fine,” said a heated Goldberg, but she was adamant that only someone who has experienced it first-hand knows what racism is.
“No, honey, I’m famous”
After an awkward interview with cranky actress-model Cara Delevingne went viral, the hosts of “The View” chastised the starlet for being a “bitch,” and told her to suck it up. Goldberg argued that as a “newbie” who isn’t a famous actress, Delevingne has no right to act like a diva. And when co-host Michelle Collins interjected to say that Delevingne is someone famous, Goldberg informed her: “No, honey, I'm famous.”
Donald Trump
Goldberg clashed with Donald Trump long before he was a serious presidential candidate. In 2011, Goldberg accused the real estate mogul of racism when he demanded to see President Barack Obama’s birth certificate, saying he’d never ask that of a white president. “I think that’s the biggest pile of dog mess I’ve heard in ages,” said Goldberg when Trump assured her it had nothing to do with race.
It’s OK for men to hit women … sometimes
When video surfaced of NFL player Ray Rice assaulting his wife, leading to widespread condemnation, Goldberg offered defense. “If you hit somebody, you cannot be sure you’re not going to be hit back,” she said to strong disagreement from her co-hosts.
Ann Coulter
Not one to shy away from a debate around race, Goldberg went head-to-head with conservative author Ann Coulter when she appeared on “The View” to argue that liberals don’t care about black people. “Please stop,” Goldberg told Coulter. “If you’re going to talk about race, at least know what you’re talking about.”
Lecturing Candace Cameron Bure on abortion
The conservative star of Netflix’s “Fuller House,” Candace Cameron Bure caught flak when she backed the defunding of Planned Parenthood. “It used to be all about the hanger,” Goldberg said. “And in the old days, the reason abortion became legal, just in case folks don’t remember, is because people got tired of tripping over women who gave themselves abortions in the bathroom, you know, or went to people who gave them Clorox to drink.”
1 of 9
With reports that the star may exit the ABC daytime talker, TheWrap looks back at her most memorable moments
Defending Bill Cosby
When actress Barbara Bowman came forward in 2014 accusing Bill Cosby of rape, Goldberg expressed skepticism and came to his defense. "I’m going to reserve my judgments because I have a lot of questions,” she said.