Conservative and Former "The View" Co-Host to Speak in San Angelo

SAN ANGELO, TX — Angelo State University's regional office of the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women's Health (LWBIWH) will host its annual "Presents" fundraising luncheon on Thursday, April 28, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the McNease Convention Center, 501 Rio Concho Drive.

Keynote speaker for the luncheon will be Emmy Award-winning TV personality Elisabeth Hasselbeck, long-time co-host of "The View" on ABC. The luncheon is the LWBIWH's annual fundraiser for its Mammogram Program and Educational Outreach Programming.

Tickets for the "Presents" luncheon are $100 each and are available by calling the LWBIWH at 325-486-6478. Tickets must be purchased in advance, and the deadline is April 15.

Hasselbeck started her TV career as a contestant on the second season of the "Survivor" reality show, where she placed fourth and competed alongside Christoval native Colby Donaldson. She then co-hosted the ABC daytime talk show, "The View," for 10 years. Along with her co-hosts, she was awarded a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host.

“The View” aired on ABC is often criticized for having far left views with ringleaders Whoopi Goldberg and (back in 2006) Barbara Walters articulating talking points from the left. Hasselbeck, however, was the lone conservative on the program. She battled with her The View co-hosts on hot button issues like abortion. In 2006, Hasselbeck expressed her strong opposition to the Morning After Pill, an over-the-counter drug that induced early term abortions. When moderator Walters told her to “calm down” after Haselbeck seemed to become emotional, Hasselbeck ripped up her cue cards and stormed off the set. Thereafter, a heated expletive-laden argument ensued off camera that was picked up by a hot mic. Hasselbeck told co-host Joy Behar that she did not need to be reprimanded on the air. In the end, the ladies made up. However, the incident was among many that led to Hasselbeck’s departure from ABC and to Fox News in 2013.

Following her stint on "The View," she appeared as a co-host on "Fox and Friends." Most recently, Hasselbeck published her book, "Point of View: A Fresh Look at Work, Faith, and Freedom," in 2019.

She is married to former NFL quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, who works as an analyst for ESPN, and they live in Nashville with their three children. She is a supporter of breast cancer awareness initiatives and an advocate for Celiac Disease education as she lives with the disease herself.

The LWBIWH Mammogram Program provides preventative breast-health services free of cost to those in the Concho Valley and surrounding counties who qualify. The Educational Outreach Programming includes events like "Girl Power," which provides girls in 4th - 7th grades the opportunity to learn about self-esteem, mental health, and the importance of women's health education going forward. Programming also includes the "Girls Night Out" event at ASU, which provides college-age women with information on campus resources, personal safety, self-defense, mental health, and much more.

For more information on the luncheon, contact Caroline Drain, LWBIWH community event coordinator, at 325-486-6478 or [email protected].