Sara Haines got candid about the emotional toll of covering heavy headlines on The View.
She admitted that the constant stream of grim news has left her feeling overwhelmed and without a safe outlet.
The 48-year-old cohost broke down in tears while speaking with series producer Brian Teta on the Behind the Table podcast, reflecting on a week of difficult Hot Topics.
The pair discussed stories ranging from the fatal shooting of Minnesota nurse Alex Pretti by an immigration agent to Donald Trump’s unusual phone call with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro following an assassination attempt on his family.
“We’re in dark times,” Teta exclaimed, prompting Haines to share how consuming so much distressing news affects her personally.
“It’s our job to be read-in and dialed-in, so the amount of consumption is so great that that stuff that’s going on in the world—then, your world happens,” she explained.
“The weight of that brings you to your knees in a level that says, the greater world is on fire, your world is on fire, why get out of bed?”
Haines paused mid-conversation, visibly emotional, before lowering her head to her hand.
“With this job, you don’t have the luxury of just saying, ‘I really need to check out,’” Haines said.
“This job? It’s headlines, it’s stories, it’s what’s happening, so I’m paid to make sure I’m doing all these things. You don’t really have a safe space.”
She added that even outside of work conversations with her husband and friends often circle back to the same troubling news.
“There’s no place to go,” she lamented.
Haines shared that her three children with husband Max Shifrin provide her with the grounding she needs.
“That’s why I’m so grateful for my kids, because their worlds are so innocent still and pure, and I try to tap into putting my phone aside when I’m with them,” she said.
“They’re my favorite people, anyway. But, the world hasn’t tainted them yet, you know?”
