Mia Love Earns the First Callback in The View's Co-Host Search

Is The View finally starting to narrow down the search for its fifth co-host? On Monday, former GOP congresswoman Mia Love became the first guest co-host to return to the table this season, though her performance once again left a little something to be desired. While Love was quick to condemn the parents of alleged Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley and praised CNN boss Jeff Zucker for firing Chris Cuomo, she struggled to get a word in during the other Hot Topics segments, and as a result, failed to leave much of a mark. Better luck next time, Mia Love.

Love's not-so-triumphant return to The View started with a Hot Topic that gave her an easy opportunity to represent the conservative perspective. As the panel discussed Jennifer and James Crumbley, who have been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter for their involvement in the shooting that left four high school students dead, Love said the parents "absolutely bear responsibility" for the incident. "As a person who is a supporter of the 2nd Amendment, I am absolutely appalled by how these parents have allowed this young man to go into this school," she said. "I am not opposed to background checks. I am not opposed to having conversations about making sure that the 2nd Amendment is left for law-abiding citizens, and people who lack the ability to make a rational decision really should not have a weapon."

"I think these parents were absolutely irresponsible," continued Love. "And I also say that they had no clear thought for human life or human dignity by allowing this to happen."

When Whoopi Goldberg brought up Rep. Thomas Massie, who posted a Christmas photo of his family holding military-style rifles just days after the Michigan school shooting, Love criticized her Republican colleague. "I've always said, just because you can, doesn't mean that you should," she said. "I thought it was really insensitive."

PARENTS OF SUSPECTED MICHIGAN SCHOOL SHOOTER ARRESTED: After prosecutors laid out a disturbing timeline leading up to the tragedy that left four students dead, the panel discusses how much blame should be placed on the alleged school shooter's parents. https://t.co/NFWVA6nAIx pic.twitter.com/wJQjEkweAs

— The View (@TheView) December 6, 2021

In the next segment, Love defended her boss at CNN, Jeff Zucker, for firing Chris Cuomo for using his position to help his brother, former New York Gov. Chris Cuomo, evade sexual misconduct allegations. "Full disclosure: I'm a CNN political commentator. And honestly, I think Jeff Zucker did the right thing here," said the repeat guest co-host. "In a world that we live in, and cancel culture, it would've been easy for him to just fire him right off the bat, but he took a moment. They hired their own independent investigator, and when the facts came out, he acted swiftly. I think that's good leadership."

Love attempted to continue her Jeff Zucker praise, but was derailed by Joy Behar's questions about "the new information" about Cuomo (Joy, how many times do we have to tell you to do your homework?). The discussion then shifted to the sexual harassment complaint that was filed against Cuomo, which he denied via a spokesperson, at which point Love's moment in the sun ended.

WAS CHRIS CUOMO FIRING HANDLED CORRECTLY? The CNN anchor was fired after “additional information” was found during an investigation into whether he advised his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on the sexual harassment scandal — the co-hosts and @MiaBLove weigh in. pic.twitter.com/z0YvQhdcpF

— The View (@TheView) December 6, 2021

The pattern seemed to hold through the rest of the show, which saw the co-hosts discuss Madonna's racy photos and the passing of Bob Dole. By the time The View moved on to guest Jordan Fisher, Love was nowhere to be found, though she did return in the episode's final minutes for a "12 Days of Holidays" segment.

If Love really wants to fill Meghan McCain's seat, she'll have to spice things up a bit tomorrow, her second of two days at the table.

Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.