This Was the Worst Guest "The View" Ever Had, Former Host Says
Sarah Cherry
Updated on February 22, 2026
With its wide-ranging hosts coming from different sides of the political spectrum, The View's "Hot Topics" have been known to lead to some truly heated debate. While these hot-button discussions are usually handled civilly and respectfully, there is one guest who may have taken things a step too far, according to Sherri Shepherd, former host of The View from 2007 to 2014. On a Dec. 2020 episode of Fox's Dish Nation, Shepherd revealed who she thought was the worst guest the show had during her time on The View. Read on to find out who it was, and for more celebrities who didn't leave a great impression, check out The Worst "Daily Show" Guest Ever, According to Jon Stewart.
On this episode of Dish Nation, Shepherd and her co-hosts Frank Kramer and Heidi Hamilton were discussing how Hoda Kotb had just called Frank Sinatra Jr. the worst guest she ever had on Today. Hamilton then asked Shepherd if there was any guest she had on The View who was particularly tough to deal with. Without hesitation, Shepherd instantly said political commentator Ann Coulter.
"She tried to, like, talk down to Barbara Walters," Shepherd said of The View's creator and longtime host. "And I lost it. … I had to check her."
Coulter has been on The View a handful of times, but one of the most fiery interviews was in 2009 when Coulter was promoting her book Guilty. After Walters read a portion of the book on camera, Coulter said, "I've never heard my book read aloud, like you're reading Mein Kampf, and I just did," referring to Adolf Hitler's manifesto. As Walters prepared to read another excerpt, Coulter said with feigned enthusiasm: "Read it like you're reading Mein Kampf again!"
"I don't think I did," Walters responded.
"I think you did," Coulter snapped. "You spat out the words, like I wasn't sitting here."
"I don't appreciate the way you're talking to her," Shepherd said, stepping in. "Nobody is attacking you. You don't have to talk to her like that!"
A decade later on Dish Nation, Shepherd explained why she stood up for Walters against Coulter. "You don't be talking down to Barbara Walters," Shepherd said. "That's my boss, I love that lady."
It seems Coulter, whose first appearance on The View was in 2007, also left her mark on another former host of the show, Elisabeth Hasselback, who was not afraid to call out the political commentator either. When it was rumored that Hasselback was leaving The View in 2008 for Fox News, host Joy Behar listed the blondes who were already on the network, including Coulter and Laura Ingraham. Hasselback stopped her and said: "Please don't put me in the same sentence as Ann Coulter. Thank you very much."
Of course, Coulter isn't the only guest who TV show hosts don't have the fondest memories of. To find out which celebrities have been named the worst guests on other shows, read on. And for another famous face who rubbed a certain late night host the wrong way, check out The One Guest Jimmy Kimmel Banned From His Show.
1 Amber Rose
Andy Cohen loves to get the scoop from his celebrity guests on Watch What Happens Live, but model Amber Rose wasn't really up for that. In a 2015 episode of The Rachael Ray Show, Cohen confessed that his least favorite guest on the show was Rose. "Amber Rose came on and she didn't want to answer any of my questions," Cohen said.
However, Rose knew that her interview with Cohen wasn't going well. "She says on the air, 'Am I your worst guest ever?' And I go, 'You are in the running right now, you really are,'" Cohen said. And for more celebrity and entertainment news sent to you directly, sign up for our newsletter.
2 Macy Gray
When Craig Ferguson was playing "Plead the Fifth" on an episode of Watch What Happens Live in 2014, Cohen asked him to name the worst guest he ever had on The Late Late Show. After taking a few moments to think about his answer, he called out singer Macy Gray. "I think she was in a bad mood that night," Ferguson said. "I don't think she was a bad person… and I was very new, and I couldn't handle it. But now I think it'd be OK." And for another star who left their mark on late night, check out The Worst "SNL" Host of All Time, Cast Says.
3 Rick Ross
In a 2019 game of "Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts" with Demi Moore, the current host of The Late Late Show, James Corden, said that the most disappointing guest he ever had was rapper Rick Ross. Corden had created a musical spoof of Ross' song "Hustlin'" for the musician to perform on the show. After Ross saw the rehearsal of the number, which was about binge-watching Netflix, he then pretended to go to the bathroom and had his management team tell Corden that he was not doing the sketch.
Even though Corden was disappointed that the performance didn't work out, he admitted it made sense why. "I have to say, now that I've said it out loud, I see his point. It does sound like a terrible idea," Corden told Moore. And for more infamous interviews, check out Oprah Says This Was the Worst Guest She Ever Had.
4 Abel Ferrara
Before Conan O'Brien even sat down for his interview with director Abel Ferrara on Late Night With Conan O'Brien in 1996, trouble was already brewing. During a 2018 interview with Dax Shepard, O'Brien said that Ferrara had run away before the show and was chased back onto the set. Once Ferrara finally sat down for the interview, things only got worse. "He came on camera against his will, came out, and started yelling at me," O'Brien said. And for another celebrity who's barred by another host, check out The One Guest Anderson Cooper Banned From His Show.
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