The View's Whoopi Goldberg shuts down ranting cohost Sunny Hostin in tense on-air clash

Whoopi Goldberg was forced to reprimand her cohost, Sunny Hostin, during Wednesday's episode of The View as a political debate turned rather tense.

Sunny, 56, was sharing her views on Donald Trump's decision to nominate WWE billionaire Linda McMahon as U.S. education secretary, when she and Alyssa Farah Griffin became locked in a war of words.

Referring to the voucher system, Sunny claimed: 'What happens with vouchers, the studies show very clearly that they fund students already attending private schools. So people with money, get those vouchers, use the vouchers to pay less for their private schools and their kids go on to do well.

'Where do you get the money from vouchers? You pull those money from the poor schools,' she continued as Alyssa, 35, butted in and tried to say: 'See, I don't see it...' as Sunny fired back: 'Let me just finish this.

'So, wealthy families are overwhelmingly the recipients of school voucher tax credits, I'm not making this up, this has been studied,' she went on before Alyssa grilled her: 'Who is that cited?'

'A 2020 study found that only about half of states with voucher programs required teachers to have a bachelor's degree, required teachers to have training, required teachers to have licensing,' Sunny continued, as Alyssa butted in again and said condescendingly: 'If I may get in just to make it a conversation.'

As Sunny carried on reading out statistics, former White House aide Alyssa continued talking over her and pointed out: 'I went to public school, I believe you went to public school... you got to go to private school.'

But Whoopi, 69, was not impressed at all and decided to step in and fumed: 'Okay because nobody can figure out what's being said here right now,' as Sunny said: 'One last point...,' and Whoopi fired back: 'No, there is no last thing right now!

'We're gonna go to break and then we're going to come back, because what's happening is, no one can hear anything anyone is saying,' Whoopi added as Alyssa argued: 'I haven't gotten a word in, she's been talking for three minutes!'

But mother-of-two Sunny was keen to have the final word as she responded: 'You talked for the first two,' as the ABC program quickly went to a commercial break.

The topic of education came about when Alyssa shared her thoughts on Linda, 76, and said: 'On the Linda McMahon, I kind of have to defend her because she started what was a regional business, turned it into a multinational, multibillion dollar business.

'She was a small business administrator in the former Trump administration, she'd served in the Connecticut school board,' Alyssa continued, as Joy Behar butted in and asked sarcastically: 'For how long?'

'For only two years, I think,' Alyssa replied before adding: 'I know this panel doesn't agree with school choice but I strongly do and elections have consequences. 

'I'm going to say it now, and I'll correct myself if I'm wrong, I don't think Donald Trump is just going to abolish the department of education.

'I think he's gonna move to invest more in voucher systems, in education savings plans and personally, one thing I agree on, I think school choice is important and the money should follow the student.'

Sharing her opinion, Sunny said: 'I think it's important. When you hear about school choice, it's really connected to the voucher system and I encourage everybody to read up on that.

'The department of education is responsible for $18.4 billion that fund high poverty K through 12 schools, schools where kids are poor. Kids, that grew up in neighborhoods like I grew up in the south Bronx projects.

'$15.5 billion from the department of education is used to cover the cost of children with disabilities, children that have dyslexia, children that have other learning needs, that learn differently.

'And what happens with vouchers, the studies show very clearly that they fund students who are already attending private schools. So people with money, get those vouchers, use the vouchers to pay less for their private schools and their kids go on to do well.'

And this is where the clash began between Sunny and Alyssa, but it's not the first time the pair have butted heads this week.

During Monday's episode of the daytime show, the two women sparred whilst reacting to a segment broadcast Friday on Real Time With Bill Maher, which touched on reasons Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris.