The Views Sara Haines breaks silence after dramatic Cheryl Hines showdown over husband RFK Jrs faults

The View‘s Sara Haines has heaped praise on Cheryl Hines for appearing on the ABC talk show – despite dramatically clashing with Sunny Hostin over her husband’s capacity to serve as Health Secretary.

Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl, 60, was a guest on Tuesday’s episode and was grilled about her other half Robert F. Kennedy Jr‘s medical expertise.

Her fiery appearance saw her go head-to-head with Sunny, 56, in a tense conversation which ultimately saw the actress snap.

Reflecting on the showdown, Sara, 48, applauded Cheryl for coming on the show.

Speaking on the Behind the Table podcast on Wednesday, she also stressed the importance of inviting guests on with opposing viewpoints.

‘I think she did a great job,’ she said. ‘I mean she was coming to a table where her husband has been a hot topic for a long time and so I commended her for just showing up.

‘But then I found that her comedic sense was a good buffer for her because she joked throughout even though we were asking her tough questions.

‘I had some people write me and say, “you went easy on her Sara, why didn’t you go harder?” I don’t think people always appreciate the ensemble of a table.

‘We want people at our table. We want people with different views at our table, and there’s points where you’re in a group and you watch things getting tense then you try and keep the balance of what the producers’ intentions were which is to cover a lot of stuff.’

Sara first joined The View as a permanent co-host in 2016 before leaving in 2018. She returned as panelist in the show’s 24th season in 2021.

Explaining how a fruitful discussion works on The View, Sara said that the hosts need to lead with curiosity first.

‘Our job is not to tell people how to feel,’ she said. ‘It’s not to invite people to our table and slam dunk them verbally.

‘It’s to be curious and to open up conversations and views that we can talk about and debate.’

During Tuesday’s show, actress Cheryl fiercely defended her husband and his ability to serve as health secretary.

She said: ‘He has dedicated his career to suing big corporations because of toxins that have been affecting people’s health…

‘He was part of the team that sued Monsanto because of Roundup, a pesticide that was causing cancer. GMOs right?

‘He sued Dupont, he sued Exxon, and he sued these companies for health reasons, because they were causing health problems.’

Sunny, however, pointed out RFK JR’s lack of credentials.

‘But the problem, respectfully, is that your husband is the least qualified Department of Health and Human Services head that we’ve had in history,’ she said.

Surprised by Sunny’s assessment, Cheryl hit back: ‘Less qualified than an economist?’

‘I think he is less qualified,’ Sunny retorted.

Refusing to back down, the guest continued: ‘He has spent his career studying toxins, studying people’s health, fighting for one guy who was using Roundup for his job.’

‘He has also spread a lot of misinformation, a lot of chaos, a lot of confusion,’ Sunny said to applause. ‘And I think it’s just a very dangerous thing. I say it with the utmost respect.’

‘Listen, we all have different views here,’ Cheryl continued. ‘And when you say misinformation, disinformation, we could go back to Covid when…’

Before she could finish, Sunny quipped: ‘He’s connected circumcision to autism.’

‘May I finish?’ a frustrated Cheryl then snapped.

Last week, Cheryl’s husband seemingly linked circumcision to an increased risk in autism.

About 80 percent of men in America are circumcised, with the practice carried out for religious or hygienic purposes or for personal preference. It is considered a safe procedure in the US.

But RKJ Jr said that two studies show an increased incidence of autism in boys who had undergone a circumcision as infants.

He said: ‘There’s two studies which show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism, and it’s highly likely because they were given Tylenol.’

RFK Jr later clarified in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that he wasn’t linking circumcision and autism, but linking the use of acetaminophen for pain control after the procedure to autism.

Health officials in the Trump administration, and the president himself, last month linked the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy with autism, despite a majority in the medical field, as well as scientific research, determining there is no causal relationship.