Entertainment TV Star Jones on Returning to 'The View' as Guest Host for 25th Anniversary: 'That's My Home' "I love the ladies that are there on The View," Star Jones tells PEOPLE amid her return as a guest co-host for the daytime talk show's 25th anniversary By Glenn Garner Glenn Garner Instagram Twitter Glenn Garner is a Writer/Reporter who works heavily with PEOPLE's Movies and TV verticals. Since graduating from Northern Arizona University with a dual major in journalism and photography, he got his professional start at OUT Magazine, The Advocate and Teen Vogue, and he's since consistently kept his finger on the pulse of the LGBTQ community. His first book The Guncle Guide was released in 2020 and was featured on Katie Couric's list of 100 recommended books of the year. People Editorial Guidelines Published on February 5, 2022 02:42 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Star Jones is gearing up for a homecoming on The View, which has been a quarter century in the making. The TV personality, 59, shared her excitement with PEOPLE (the TV Show!) correspondent Jeremy Parsons over returning to her "home" on the daytime talk show for its 25th anniversary season. She even discussed Whoopi Goldberg just prior to her two-week suspension. "We can talk about each other. Y'all can't talk about us, OK?" Jones said of her fellow The View alumni, adding: "Whoopi and I have been friends for so long, it's unbelievable." Jones filled in as a guest co-host on Friday's episode, years after starting as one of the show's original five panelists in 1997 alongside Joy Behar, Meredith Vieira, Debbie Matenopoulos, and creator Barbara Walters. Her original run on the show lasted for nine seasons until her exit in 2006, but she's often returned as a guest over the years. The View's Show Culture 'Is Not What Barbara Walters Wanted,' Says Source amid Whoopi Goldberg's Suspension "That's my home. It will always be my home. I love the ladies that are there on The View," the American Heart Association national volunteer raved, noting how she started on the show alongside current co-host Behar, and that Sunny Hostin is a sorority sister of hers. Season 1 of The View. Steve Fenn/ABC "More importantly, I have a greater appreciation for my long term mentor, and as most women in the business would say their mentor, Barbara Walters, because she made diversity a front burner issue when it wasn't popular," Jones added. In addition to Jones' appearance, Vieira, 68, and Elisabeth Hasselbeck are returning to the show this month as guests to help celebrate The View's milestone 25th season. RELATED VIDEO: Whoopi Goldberg Suspended at The View After 'Wrong and Hurtful' Holocaust Comments Since Walters, 92, launched The View in 1997, the show has seen a rotating panel of female commentators over the years. However, its format has mostly remained the same, with a panel of women from diverse backgrounds discussing the day's "Hot Topics" and news. Meredith Vieira, Star Jones and Elisabeth Hasselbeck Returning to The View for Season 25 Celebration Jones' return comes after Goldberg, 66, was suspended this week for inaccurately asserting that the "Holocaust isn't about race" during a discussion about a Tennessee school board's ban of the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus. She apologized on the show the next day and provided a platform for Anti-Defamation League (ADL) CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. The ADL has since accepted her apology.