Barbara Walters Plans View Spinoff—With Guys

Oprah Winfrey’s impending departure is going to leave a big daytime talk void, and Barbara Walters thinks she can fill it with a new “unisex” version of the View. Sources tell the New York Daily News that Walters and View co-creator Bill Geddie are working on what the paper terms “The View with balls.” The show would have at least two male hosts, and would air in Oprah’s old time-slot.

The producers want hosts who’ve already proven themselves as View guests. On the wish-list: Bryant Gumbel, who they think brings a Meredith Vieira-esque vibe, Filipino comedian Alec Mapa, ex-BET news anchor Jacque Reid (playing the Sherri Shepherd role), and ex-Fox News host E.D. Hill (of Terrorist Fist Jab fame), who’ll fill Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s token conservative role. When contacted for comment, an ABC spokeswoman initially laughed at the idea—then called back to say she couldn’t comment. (More The View stories.)