Why Alyssa Farah Griffin Is Unexpectedly Missing From 'The View'

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Sophie Hessekiel is a Newsweek writer based in Los Angeles. Her focus is on celebrity news and entertainment. She has also written extensively about culture and relationships for a variety of publications, including Mashable and the Los Angeles Times. Her writing can also be seen in the book Squishmallows: Radiate Positivity and on the Fox drama series The Cleaning Lady. Sophie began contributing to Newsweek in 2024 and is a graduate of Vassar College. You can see more examples of her work and contact her at sophiehessekiel.com.

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Just as The View host Whoopi Goldberg recovered from the flu, her cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin went down for the count.

As the show began on Monday, February 24, the 69-year-old Goldberg appeared to still be a bit under the weather, coughing as she announced, "So Alyssa's out sick, I'm back." She continued by saying, "I have to tell ya, this flu is really awful. My bones hurt, like my head was hurting, everything was hurting, the cat wouldn't come near me." Goldberg's other cohosts, Ana Navarro, Sunny Hostin, and Sarah Haines, shared their sympathy as she described what sounded like a harrowing bout of sickness.

US Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris (C) is pictured in studio at ABC during a break in the recording of the show "The View" with hosts (L-R) Sara Haines, Ana Navarro, Whoopi... CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

Goldberg went on to say that she'd had a flu shot, and her bout with the illness lasted less time than it did for other friends of hers who had had the flu.

Navarro, 53, Hostin, 56, and Haines, 47, welcomed Goldberg back to the show, and they did not specify whether Farah Griffin, 35, also had the flu or if a different illness had sidelined her.

When the official X (formerly Twitter) account for The View posted the clip, some users noticed that Goldberg still sounded pretty sick.

"Whoopi is still coughing, sounds congested, talking about how it was so bad her bones hurt, but she's back to work less than a week later. Now her coworker is out, probably thanks to Whoopi. And the crowd laps it up like dogs. Which cohost will be out next?" asked one user.

Another X user shared a similar sentiment, writing, "You are still coughing which means you are sick. Should have stayed home."

Another commenter simply shared sympathy for anyone who got the flu this year, writing, "I got the flu shot too, and still I got the flu! This year was the worst!"

Presumably, Farah Griffin will be back on the long-running daytime talk show as soon as she is feeling better.

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