Former host of "The View," Meredith Vieira, said the remark she made to Time magazine about the New York show becoming a "joke" was taken out of context.

ADVERTISEMENT

Vieira said she phoned her former boss Barbara Walters Monday to say she was upset by Time's quote, the New York Post reported.

Vieira's interview touched on the sudden, on-air resignation of longtime "View" member Star Jones. Vieira said she rarely watched the show anymore.

"It's hard to watch. It sort of became a joke," she said.

Walters seemed understanding, Vieira said. "She said (the 'joke' quote) 'doesn't sound like you, but if it was you, I'll have to hurt your husband,'" Vieira said.

Vieira said her comment was intended to describe the way the media was treating the show after Jones' departure.

"I felt that the media was turning ('The View') into a joke, not that the show was a joke," Vieira said. "...It became a feeding frenzy, and I felt the media was turning the show into a joke ... that it was becoming fodder for lots of mean-spirited articles."

Vieira starts her new job as co-host of the "Today" show on Sept. 13.