One of the hosts of ABC's The View was forced to read a legal notice, right in the middle of the show, after she attempted to smear former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL). 

The New York Post reports that the incident took place on Tuesday, and it involved co-host Sonny Hostin.

Suffice it to say that Hostin was extremely upset about how this all played out. Take a look for yourself:

NEW: The View host Sunny Hostin fumes as she is forced to read a legal note just minutes after presenting the Matt Gaetz allegations as a “fact.”

Hostin: They discussed the fact that once [Gaetz] finds out that she's 17, he stops having s*x with her.

Hostin 3 min later: Matt… pic.twitter.com/USvYjnWqKZ

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 20, 2024

Here's what happened:

At the time of the show's broadcast on Tuesday, Gaetz was still President-Elect Donald Trump's nominee to become the next attorney general of the United States. Accordingly, the leftist hosts of The View were doing their best to smear Gaetz.

In the process, Hostin brought up the allegations against Gaetz.

"How could you nominate someone with allegations of child trafficking or trafficking across state lines and having sex with a 17-year-old?" Hostin asked.

She continued, "My understanding, further on in the interview, they discuss the fact that once he finds out that she’s 17, he stops having sex with her."

The problem here is that none of this is a "fact." It is an allegation that has been made against Gaetz, who has strongly denied it. And, no evidence has been presented to prove it, which probably explains why no criminal case has been brought against Gaetz.

Hence, the legal notice

It appears that The View's lawyers spotted some potential legal problems with what Hostin said about Gaetz. Thus, within minutes of her rant against Gaetz, she was forced to stop the show to read a legal notice.

With a dejected look on her face, Hostin read, "Matt Gaetz has long denied all allegations and has not been charged with any crime."

She continued, "This false smear following a three-year criminal investigation should be viewed with great skepticism. That DOJ investigation was closed with no charges being brought."

The show, immediately after Hostin finished reading the legal notice, immediately went to a commercial break.

That must have really hurt the good women of The View. Their faces, as they went to that commercial break, would suggest that it did.