After over a month-long leave of absence following the death of her father, Sen. John McCain, The View co-host Meghan McCain will be returning to the talk show on Monday, Oct. 8, PEOPLE confirms.
“She’s still in intense grief and will be sharing that on the show, but it was her brother, Jimmy, who was insistent on her going back to work, like their dad would have been,” a source tells PEOPLE. “Her dad wouldn’t want her to be crying and feeling sorry for herself, but he would want her to be strong, get back to the grind and keep doing the great job that she’s been doing.”
“Jimmy kept saying that dad would want Meghan to show them how tough she is, like she showed with her eulogy,” the source adds. “Jimmy, his wife Holly and Meghan’s husband, Ben, along with numerous other family and friends, have been such rocks thorough all this.”
The late war hero died at 81 on Aug. 25 after a battle with glioblastoma. Since his death, Meghan, 33, has remained out of the spotlight, but has continued to honor her father on social media.
During The View‘s 22nd season premiere last month, incoming co-host Abby Huntsman made her debut and took a moment to speak about Meghan and her father.
“Meghan is like a sister to me and this was the hardest thing she has ever been through,” Huntsman said. “Her dad was her best friend, her dad was everything.”
Another close friend of Meghan’s, S.E. Cupp, recently told Andy Cohen that Meghan was doing “okay,” but “still working through it” during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live.
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Meghan’s emotional eulogy at her father’s funeral resonated with many, including her View colleague Sunny Hostin.
“It was just so moving to see our friend and our colleague rise to that occasion,” she said. “We all know she’s devastated by the passing of her father … but my God, she showed everyone how tough she is.”
