Jenny McCarthy isn’t suited for The View–at least according to Julie Chen. The comment came about during a visit both Chen and one of her costars on The Talk–Sharon Osbourne–made to Howard Stern’s satellite radio show.

The conversation turned to talk show ratings, and how The Talk might soon surpass The View. Stern then asked both ladies if The View made a big mistake in hiring Jenny McCarthy.

Julie Chen said yes.

“What made ‘The View’ so popular and so good was that you had five different women from different walks of life discussing politics. And when… Joy [Behar] left and when Elisabeth [Hasselbeck] left, and they got Jenny in, I think they were trying to lighten the mood at the table. More gossip, more fun, more laughs. Jenny is beautiful and funny and talented and smart. In my opinion, ‘The View’ doesn’t know what it is now,” she told Stern.

Sharon Osbourne chimed in as well

“They knew what their path was,” she said of The View. “You knew what to expect. You watched it for their different opinions, and now it’s kind of all over the place. It’s not one or the other.”

Julie Chen was quick to point out, however, that Jenny McCarthy has talk show value–just probably not on a show like The View. She feels that McCarthy is far more suited for a show like The Talk.

The View’s Sherri Shepherd thinks Jenny brings something special to The View, and she shared her feelings just a day before Julie Chen’s comments hit the media.

“What a spirit of joy @jennyannmccarthy brings to @TheViewtv. Her excitement is contagious! I have known Jenny for over 10 years and her personality has never changed,” she wrote to accompany the following Instagram photo.

And while some may, in fact, agree that McCarthy brings joy–that’s not what makes the show tick. The View was never about a spirit of joy. It was a spirit of serious collaboration of women with concrete views on both serious and popular topics.

Was Julie Chen being vindictive when she made her comment about Jenny McCarthy? Or was she simply stating something that lots of people already believed?

If The Talk surpasses The View in the ratings race, do you think talk of dumping Jenny McCarthy will surface? It’s entirely possible they’re going on already–in hushed tones and behind closed doors.

Image via Wikimedia