Elisabeth Hasselbeck Leaving 'The View': Co-host Fired After Joy Behar Leaves the Show? Hasselbeck Allegedly too Conservative for ABC?

"The View" will reportedly soon have a new outlook as long-time hosts Joy Behar & Elisabeth Hasselbeck bid the daytime talk show adieu! For Behar, it was voluntary, but for co-host Hasselbeck, ABC is apparently letting her go.

Joy Behar, 70, made the announcement Thursday that she would be leaving the show in August, according to Us Weekly, after more than 16 years as a host. A day after Behar's departure, an unnamed source told the magazine's website that co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck apparently did not attract enough viewers and that "her contract would not be renewed."  Was she fired?

Deadline.com and the Hollywood Reporter also reported Hasselbeck's departure, citing unnamed sources. Her agent did not return calls for comment on the report.

Hasselbeck, 35, joined the long-running women-oriented daytime talk show in 2003 and is an outspoken conservative, often clashing with former co-host and liberal Rosie O'Donnell. She became a permanent fixture after guest-hosting, following Lisa Ling's departure in 2002, Reuters states.

"The show's resident conservative voice is being ousted after market research revealed that she isn't popular with TV audiences," Us Weekly says.

Huffington Post notes: If Hasselbeck's conservatism is a problem with audiences, it would appear to be a relatively new one; she has been on the show for nearly ten years, and "The View" has maintained its ratings success.

Further, ABC released a vague statement Friday saying only that Hasselbeck "is a valued member of 'The View' and has a long-term contract" without providing any further details. This leaves us questioning if Hasselbeck is actually being fired or not.

If Hasselbeck's departure does actually ensue at the end of the summer, "The View" would suddenly be without two of its longest-running hosts, reports Huffington Post. The show has had the same cast since 2007, when it brought in Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepherd to replace Rosie O'Donnell and Star Jones. Hasselbeck's exit would also leave the show without one of its main sources of conflict; her political arguments with Goldberg and Behar - and, before them, O'Donnell - have long been a key feature, HP notes.

Barbara Walters, the co-creator of "The View," will be the only original lady left standing (or sitting) on the morning show.

Behar, the first non-returning host, announced her departure with her reason being, "There are other things on my plate I want to do," she told Deadline.com on Thursday, citing a play she has been writing and her stand-up comedy. She also said she would like to host another talk show of her own, NY Times states.

The network wishes Joy "all the best in this next chapter, and are thrilled that we have her for the remainder of the season,"as stated by Reuters.

"The View" may be in need of some major replacements next season, providing possible new women's point-of-views.