How child star stigma inspired Raven-Symoné, Candace Cameron Bure to join 'The View'

Raven-Symoné and Candace Cameron Bure spoke with "The View" co-host Sara Haines on the "Behind The Table" podcast about their reasons for joining the show and how their history as child stars impacted their time co-hosting.

The two former co-hosts joined Haines in the show's special podcast series, which celebrates the Emmy Award-winning talk show's 25th season on air. The former child stars spoke with Haines on the show's special podcast series "Behind The Table" about sitting at the Hot Topics table.

In the podcast, Symoné and Bure both spoke on how they thought being on "The View" panel would be an exciting change from their previous work.

Symoné said one of the reasons she wanted to be a co-host was so she could "show the growth of myself outside of a child star stigma."

"I took it in guns blazing, knowing that this was going to represent who I am as a person, not as an entertainer or a character," she continued. "It was a big seat to fill for myself."

"I just tried to go a different way and it was interesting," she added.

Bure explained that what drew her into wanting to be on the show was that "it was something that was new" and it would "challenge" her. "It is the world telling you either how wonderful you are or how hated you are. And that is a whole other dynamic to try to grasp, wrap your head around, to forget about."

Noting that they both worked in the industry, Symoné said they both work differently than most people. "At younger ages, we are dealing with pressures and television and things of that nature that kind of manipulate our mind and our thinking on a much different level than it would if we come from politics or if we're coming from somewhere else."

Despite not having experience debating politics prior to joining the panel, Symoné said she "learned to to appreciate politics." However, the hardest part of the job was managing emotional stress and the pressure to represent the LGBTQ+ community because she was "the only one on the panel with that label."

"I am not a fan of holding an entire community on my shoulders," she continued. "Even in your own community, people will get mad at you."

Bure spoke to the "enormous pressure" she felt to represent conservative Christians when talking politics.

"I'm also a people pleaser, and I think that's a part of growing up in the entertainment industry," she added. "You've been trained to do what's right and please people, so it becomes difficult to be able, at least for me, to stand on your own and take it and allow people to be mad at you."

"There were so many wonderful takeaways from the show that as difficult as that job was, I'm very, very grateful for it," she said. "My opinion, it's my opinion. And maybe sometimes I said things better or worse one day or another, but I don't regret anything."

Being a part of "The View" panel also contributed to Bure's self-confidence, saying it "really grew" while co-hosting. "I felt like after walking away, if I can do that, I can do anything."

In June of 2015, Symoné officially joined the panel after previously guest co-hosting on the show. Months later, for the season 19 premiere in September, Bure became co-host along with Paula Faris and the return of Joy Behar.

During their time on "The View," they shared the table with Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Paula Faris, Michelle Collins, and Sara Haines and both made the decision to leave after one season.

Haines first joined "The View" as a co-host in 2016 for season 20. She left after season 21 to co-host ABC News' "GMA 3: Strahan, Sara & Keke," and returned to "The View" panel again in 2020, for season 24.

With a long acting career beginning in the early 1990s, Symoné is most known for her Disney Channel series "That's So Raven." She's also appeared on the small screen in the shows "Empire," "Black-ish," and most recently the sequel to her sitcom, "Raven's Home."

In 1987, Bure was better known to the public as "D.J." Tanner, the oldest of three sisters on "Full House." In the small world that is TV acting, Bure and Symoné crossed paths in a 2007 episode of "That's So Raven" when Bure guest-starred.

Now, Bure continues her multifaceted career, including her work with the Hallmark Channel.

In the fifth episode of "Behind The Table," Haines talks with Symoné and Bure look back on when Donald Trump was elected president of the United States, the hardest part of co-hosting and their decision to ultimately leave the show.

Listen to more of Raven-Symoné, Candace Cameron Bure and Sara Haines' "Behind The Table" podcast episode:

"Behind the Table" is available for free on major listening platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, TuneIn, Audacy and the ABC News app.