Though “The View” typically welcomes a large and occasionally vocal audience to their shows, Monday’s episode was decidedly empty. Following the massive winter weather front that hit the East Coast this weekend, the ABC talk show kept its audience at home.
As the women took the stage, moderator Whoopi Goldberg kicked things off as usual, turning to the empty chairs and welcoming everyone as she normally does. But, she immediately pointed out why she was actually talking to no one.
“I have to tell you that we hope that everyone watching is safe from the storm that walloped a lot of the country this weekend,” Whoopi said. “A state of emergency was declared here in New York, so we actually have no audience today.”
The deep freeze closed 250 theaters across 30 states this past weekend, with nearly 11,000 flights getting cancelled nationwide and hundreds of school closures throughout New England.
Whoopi then thanked her crew for still coming to work, as well as the outdoor cleanup crews for clearing the roads. Whoopi also joked that it was executive producer Brian Teta running back and forth behind the cameras to make sure the show continued on.
What followed was an especially somber episode of the talk show, as the women largely focused on the killing of U.S. citizen Alex Pretti by ICE in Minnesota over the weekend. The hosts seethed at the second “straight up murder” by the agency, and even more so at the Trump administration’s continued attempts to defend the killing.
As the show ended, Whoopi offered her usual reminder to viewers that they are not alone, but also solemnly encouraged everyone to stand up against what’s happening right now. Her warning was backed by the outro track of “The View,” but the silence from where the crowd would normally be was palpable.
