Sherri Shepherd Fuels Rumors ‘The View’ May Add Latina

May 13, 2013

"The View" co-host Joy Behar announced in March that she is departing ABC’s long-running daytime talk show. Actresses Brooke Shields and Jenny McCarthy both are rumored contenders to fill in Behar’s seat but there are rumors the seat may go to a Latina.

Last Friday co-host Sherri Shepherd visited Jay Leno and mentioned comedian Debi Gutierrez was a guest co-host in the show, adding, "I think we need a Latina on the show." Her comments fueled a number of rumors that ABC executives may replace Behar with a Latina.

If some of those rumors are true, the Latina joining "The View" may not be representative of your average Latina in the U.S. A 2012 Gallup poll found 51% of Latinos identified as or leaned Democratic, while a little less than a quarter (24%) identified with or leaned toward the GOP. Women and children of Latino immigrants are even more likely to identify as democrats.

But ABC executives may be looking for a ‘conservative Latina’ to replace Behar, according to sources interviewed by the U.K.’s "Daily Mail."

Former "Real World – San Francisco" star and outspoken conservative Rachel Campos-Duffy and singer Gloria Estefan are being considered to replace Behar, according to the NY Daily News.

Contemporary Christian and Latin pop singer Jaci Velasquez, who also co-hosts her own radio show, is rumored to be in the running too.

An ABC spokeswoman told the Daily Mail that ‘at this time we have no comment’ regarding the rumors.

"The View" was the most watched daytime network talk show in 2012.