Vieira says 'The View' 'Became a Joke'

NEW YORK -- Meredith Vieira says she doesn't watch The View now that she's poised to become the co-anchor of NBC's Today show on Sept. 13.

"I needed to think ahead," she said in an interview published in Time magazine on Sunday. "But I have to admit, the day after Star made her announcement, I watched. I feel very sad for everything that's happened and for everybody involved."

Star Jones Reynolds left The View in June after the announcement that Rosie O'Donnell will take over the moderator chair of the program.

Vieira, who was The View moderator for nine years, said she was proud of her work at the popular daytime talk show and feels it has taken a turn for the worse.

"It's hard to watch. It sort of became a joke," she told the magazine.

Though she turned down a job on CBS's Early Show in 2002, Vieira said, she couldn't turn her back on the opportunity to co-host the Today show.

"It's an institution," she said. "I'm not somebody who loves getting up at four in the morning, so this might kill me, but we'll see."

Re: Vieira says 'The View' 'Became a Joke'

Not that I liked Star but I didn't watch much since she left either. I only checked in for the hot topics if the guest co-host was interesting to me.

I never liked to watch when Barbara Walters was on and I am not a big fan of Elizabeth.

I will probably watch when Rosie comes on to see if it's a little more interesting.

Re: Vieira says 'The View' 'Became a Joke'

i COULD NOT STAND Star Jones

but i must say...Having Rosie on..

I will NEVER bother to watch that show

WORST MISTAKE EVER...

I think Rosie is a bigger drama queen than Star could ever aspire to be