The recent cast changes on ABC's "The View" seems to be a success. According to USA Today, the network announced that Monday's Sept. 15 premiere pulled in the best premiere ratings in eight years.
Reportedly 3.9 million people tuned in for the Season 18 premiere, the newspaper reports. The show hasn't seen numbers that high since 2006 when Rosie O'Donnell first joined. On Monday viewers were introduced to newcomers Rosie Perez and Nicolle Wallace. O'Donnell returned to the table after a few years' hiatus joining veteran cohost Whoopi Goldberg, who also served as moderator.
During the premiere, O'Donnell showed off her 55 pound weight loss and chatted with the ladies barefoot - she said she had a "little sciatica" and needed to stretch her legs.
"I'm good. I'm happy," she told the audience. "I lost fiftysomething pounds with surgery... I had the vertical gastric sleeve. Google it... it can save your life."
Perez also gave an update on her life and told the audience that she's getting ready to star in a Broadway play, USA Today reports.
"I'm loving life," the actress said. "Wow. I'm about to do a Broadway play in the middle of all this, which is crazy - written and starring Larry David... Life is good."
O'Donnell added that Perez had also released a memoir and had gotten married last year. The first thing Wallace said about herself was that she's a republican, to which O'Donnell replied, "And I really like her! I actually love her!"
Goldberg finished the table introductions and jokingly said, "like bad gas, I've returned." She also revealed that she too had lost "a little weight" saying that she when she tipped the scales at 217 pounds it was "too much of me for anyone."
Hot topics for Monday included Ray Rice and domestic violence, Adrian Peterson and how to discipline your child and Hillary Clinton. Wallace also chimed in with a story about Sarah Palin and Dick Cheney. The show ended with a touching tribute to the late Joan Rivers by actress Kristin Chenoweth.
Did you watch the Season 18 premiere of "The View?" What did you think?
