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The culture at The View isn't what is once was, an unnamed source close the show told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview, especially as Whoopi Goldberg remains off the air amid a two-week suspension over comments she made about the Holocaust.
"Everyone is despondent" at The View, the source said after Goldberg was suspended for saying the Holocaust "wasn't about race" earlier this week.
The source said the situation would be particularly upsetting to Barbara Walters who first formed the original panel of women on The View back in 1997 and served as a co-host until 2014.
"It's like watching a family member spiral downward," the source said. "It was described by people there as 'mayhem."
The source added that, "There is no accountability [anymore]... part of being 'produced' means being told what you don't want to hear, so you get it right. When you make a mistake or look arrogant –– it's important not to be surrounded by 'yes men.'"
"Whoopi is the alpha. She's the moderator and a pop culture icon. This is not what Barbara Walters wanted and there was nobody there to push back," the source said.
The source added that while "Whoopi has a long record of saying controversial things," she is "very upset and is beginning to understand the gravity of what she has done," later adding, "It feels like the dam finally broke and the bad behavior and the things they have gotten away with finally came out on camera."
"I hope the show can recover."
A different insider chimed in: "Words matter and when you are on live TV, this is why you have to think before you speak."
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