Comedian Michelle Collins will slide into Rosie Perez’s soon-to-be vacated seat on “The View.”
Amid falling confetti and much fanfare, the writer/comedian, who will be the 15th cohost of ABC’s daytime talker, shared the news live on Monday’s episode.
The recent contributor is set to start her new gig in September, with a few guest appearances slated for the summer ahead of her debut. “The View” is set to go on hiatus in August.
“These past few months have been the most fun and exciting of my career, and I couldn’t be happier to join such an awesome, smart, accomplished and funny group of women,” the 34-year-old said in a statement. “Ever since the age of 4 (and the height of 5 foot 6), it’s been my dream to host a talk show, and the fact that I now get to do just that every day with an amazing, hard-working team of producers, writers, cast and crew is beyond my wildest expectations.”
The pop-culture comic has previously worked on VH1’s “Walk of Shame Shuttle” and “Big Morning Buzz Live” as well as Logo’s “The Gossip Queens.” Collins also served as managing editor of VH1’s “Best Week Ever” website and appeared on the pop-culture show.
Her lightning-quick wit, strong opinions and wicked humor are among the reasons for her hire, “The View” executive producer Bill Wolff said in a statement.
Former co-host and creator Barbara Walters said the outrageous and thoughtful Collins “brings a fantastic energy and a keen sense of humor to the program.”
Perez, who was the first Latina cohost in the program’s 17-year history, announced her exit earlier this month after one season on the daytime chat show. Critics observed that the actress never seemed quite at ease on the talker.
With the addition of Collins, the ever-changing co-hosts now are longtime fixture Whoopi Goldberg, Season 18 addition Nicole Wallace and former child star Raven-Symoné, who replaced Rosie O’Donnell after her February exit.
