USA Today reports:
It's official: Barbara Walters confirmed on Monday's The View that comedic actress Jenny McCarthy will join the chatfest when its 17th season begins Sept. 9.
...
"We are delighted that Jenny will be joining us as a permanent co-host," Walters says, adding McCarthy "brings us intelligence as well as warmth and humor. She can be serious and outrageous. She has connected with our audience and offers a fresh point of view."
Not everybody shared Walters' delight. McCarthy, who has embraced the controversial claim that vaccinations cause autism, has drawn the ire of pro-immunization advocacy groups.
In her book Mother Warriors, however, McCarthy writes of meeting Walters before her first appearance on the show:
I turned the corner and walked into her dressing room. She was getting her makeup done when I said "Hi, Barbara." She whipped her chair around and sternly stared at me with cold eyes. All I could think was "uh-oh."
"People think you're crazy, you know that?" she said with words made of icicles.
"Um, no," I said softly. Then she lowered her chin and managed to lower an octave in her voice and yet raise the volume at the same time.
"MOST doctors do not agree with anything you are saying. Isn't that true?" she said in a wicked, scary tone. I was in shock. Truth be told, I never had anyone yell at me like that -- not since Scott Baio heard I called him Chachie [sic] in an interview...
