When The View‘s 22nd season premiered on Tuesday, Sept. 4, one star was noticeably absent from the co-hosts table — Meghan McCain. Since Meghan’s beloved father, John McCain, recently passed away on Aug. 25 after battling brain cancer, many fans were worried that Meghan was leaving The View in the wake of her father’s death. 

But, it seems Meghan was actually just taking some much-needed time off from the spotlight following John’s passing at age 81. On Monday, Oct. 1, she announced she’d be returning to the popular talk show next week. “I will be getting back on the horse @theviewabc Monday, October 8th. Thank you all for your patience and understanding ~ ‘It’s not about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard can you get hit and keep moving forward.'” she wrote on Instagram alongside a cartoon drawing of herself. 

She’ll return to the co-hosts table on Monday, Oct. 8 alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, and newcomer Abby Huntsman. 

When The View previously returned to TV in early September, Meghan’s co-hosts touchingly discussed Meghan’s relationship with her father. “Meghan is like a sister to me and this was the hardest thing she has ever been through,” Fox & Friends Weekend alum Abby told the audience. “Her dad was her best friend, her dad was everything. I was so proud of her — it was like her dad had passed the torch to her. She was now speaking for the family.”

Abby also spoke kindly of John, who was regarded as being a war hero during his prolific life. “He was willing to give his life for this country,” she said. “And that is a love for this country that very few people have.”

Sunny — who attended John’s funeral — also spoke about the eulogy Meghan delivered at her father’s services. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard a group of people applaud at a eulogy,” she said of her co-host. 

meghan mccain john mccain funeral
MEGA

“It was just so moving to see our friend and our colleague rise to that occasion. We all know she’s devastated by the passing of her father… but my God, she showed everyone how tough she is,” Sunny added. 

Whoopi then sadly revealed that she was not able to attend John’s funeral due to an issue with her flight. “It was one of the biggest devastations. John and I, as crazy as this sounds, we were friends. We’ve been friends since Meghan was little. The plane had some issues and it was going to take them two hours to fix it. I hate to fly but I was willing to fly because I needed to get there. So I’m so crazed that I missed it,” she said. We can’t wait for Meghan to return to The View soon — we missed her!