One Host on ABC's 'The View': 'I Would Like to Apologize' to Mike Pence

Caitlin Burke : Feb 20, 2018
CBN News

"I am a great admirer of Mike Pence and his family. I would like to apologize to him and his family, in particular..." -Meghan McCain

[CBN News] So far, Meghan McCain is the only host of the "The View" to offer an apology to Mike Pence for comments made on the program comparing his faith to mental illness. (Photo: Meghan McCain-Twitter profile photo)

"I am a great admirer of Mike Pence and his family. I would like to apologize to him and his family in particular. This is a show where we respect one another and we respect everyone else in the country," McCain said.

Last week on the show, in reference to comments made about Pence's prayer life, Joy Behar said, "It's one thing to talk to Jesus. It's another thing when Jesus talks to you. That's called mental illness, if I'm not correct, hearing voices."

In the first few days after the remarks, ABC News received more than 25,363 calls from people offended by the comments.

Vice President Pence called the comments "just wrong."

"And it's an insult not to me, but to the vast majority of the American people who, like me, cherish their faith. My Christianity is the most important thing in my life," he said.

In response to the backlash, some of the hosts tried to quell the controversy.

Behar said she is a Christian and claimed her comments were "a joke." Whoopie Goldberg said she has a good relationship with people of different faiths whether she agrees with them or not.

Meghan McCain then offered an outright apology.

"I've had a very hard time over the last two days with this," McCain said. "My in-laws are evangelical. My entire family are devoutly Christian," she added.

"As a Republican, I feel like sometimes liberals say, 'We need to be tolerant of everyone, we need to be tolerant of everyone' except pro-lifers, except Trump supporters, except gun-owners, except for everyone in the red in the middle of the country."

At that point she was cut off by Goldberg who said she didn't want to get into talk of Liberals and asked McCain to finish up "quickly."

McCain continued, "Yes, I would like to move forward. I think we would all like to collectively move forward. I am a great admirer of Mike Pence and his family. I would like to apologize to him and his family, in particular. This is a show where we respect one another and we respect everyone else in the country," McCain finished.

Brent Bozell, founder of the Media Research Center published an open letter to ABC calling the comments "unacceptable."

@BrentBozell (tweet)
The attacks against VP Mike Pence for his Christian faith by The View cast members Sunny Hostin and Joy Behar are unacceptable. Please read my open letter to ABC News President James Goldston demanding an apology.

He later tweeted about sending private letters to companies that advertise on "the View" and promised continued action against the program.

Evangelical leader Franklin Graham said the country should be alarmed and offended by Joy Behar's original comments.

"Every Christian who is listening right now—whether you are a Catholic, whether you are a Protestant—Baptist, Evangelical—whatever you may be, Pentecostal, this should scare the socks off of you," Graham said during an interview on the Todd Starnes Radio Show.