Rosie Perez, who for the last four months has been a part of ABC morning talk show The View, will be leaving the program according to sources. Perez has been absent from the program all January due to acting obligations.
Perez, 50, joined The View cast back in September along with Republican pundit Nicolle Wallace. Variety got the exclusive scoop that Perez will leave the show although ABC has denied that she’ll be leaving the program and without a hard confirmation from her manager.
More from Variety:
Perez had taken off the month of January to appear in the Broadway play “Fish in the Dark,” but it’s understood that she won’t be coming back to the Hot Topics table once she’s done. It’s unclear when ABC will announce her departure, but for now “View” producers have been trying other younger co-hosts in her seat.
A rep for “View” denied that Perez would be leaving the show. “Her status with the show has not changed,” ABC said.
After declining steadily for a few years, ratings for “The View” have stabilized in its 18th season with new co-hosts Rosie O’Donnell and Nicolle Wallace joining moderator Whoopi Goldberg; the show is on par with last year in total viewers and down a bit in key demos. Perez was handpicked by the show’s new executive producer Bill Wolff as a last-minute choice after the show underwent a reinvention this past summer after the retirement of Barbara Walters.
Variety added that Perez appeared to struggle with the format of the show, and had trouble reading from the TelePrompter among other concerns. There are also speculation that other moves will take place for The View.
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