Illustration: Damon Dahlen/HuffPost; Photos: Getty Images

For years, the public has known that the ABC television program “The View” is a show (and a workplace) filled with drama and chaos. But a new book alleges a breathtaking level of workplace misconduct, unethical behavior and dysfunction behind the scenes of the top-rated television talk show. The book, Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of “The View,” written by Ramin Setoodeh, the New York bureau chief of Variety, is packed with details about the show, which premiered almost 22 years ago. Setoodeh conducted 150 interviews for the book and sat down with all 11 of the show’s major co-hosts except for Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Whoopi Goldberg. The reporting also includes 2014 and 2016 interviews with legendary newswoman Barbara Walters, who created “The View” and held 50 percent ownership of it for some time. Excerpts from Ladies Who Punch have been published by other news outlets, but HuffPost is the first publication to obtain a full copy of the book. The book is unsparing in its portrayal of the co-hosts, producers, ABC executives and crew of the program. Walters is portrayed as a leader who understandably held a tight grip on the show, but was also deeply egomaniacal and threatened by women who are more popular (namely Joy Behar and Rosie O’Donnell). The book also alleges she actively participated in undermining current and former co-hosts by leaking embarrassing information to the press. A theme emerges throughout the book: The power Walters held over the show (and the fact that the filming studio and offices were located in a different building in New York City than ABC’s headquarters) allowed workplace misconduct and dysfunction to thrive at the program. And despite the fact that ABC executives were aware of what was happening, the book describes how they repeatedly failed to put a stop to what was going on behind the scenes ― alleging they even participated in stigmatizing mental illness and brought back a host they knew was unquestionably abusive to staff and co-hosts. ABC did not immediately respond to detailed list of questions about the allegations described in the book and this piece.

John Nacion/STAR MAX/IPx In the book, Meredith Vieira accuses Bill Geddie, the executive producer of “The View," of ageism.

Ageism In an interview for the book, former show moderator Meredith Vieira accused Bill Geddie, the executive producer of “The View,” of ageism. Vieira told Setoodeh that when her contract with “The View” was up in 2006, she was dragging her feet and not re-signing. Geddie approached her to ask why she hadn’t committed, and then referenced the fact that she was 52 and may find it difficult to find work, according to Vieira. “The implication was it wasn’t easy to get another job. And I’m thinking “yes it is!” Vieira told Setoodeh. Geddie subsequently apologized, Vieira told Setoodeh. In his own interview, Geddie said he didn’t remember the comment. “I have no recollection of making any issue with her age. If she said I said it, maybe I thought it was a play. I was trying to get her to stay. I certainly wanted her to stay.” Three sources inside “The View” told HuffPost that Geddie was known for taking a misogynistic tone on occasion in workplace conversations. He left “The View” in 2014 and is set to serve as the executive producer of former NBC “Today Show” co-anchor Tamron Hall’s ABC daytime talk show. Human Resources The book details more than 100 examples of a hostile work environment, yet it seems nothing was ever done to mitigate this behavior. Clashes backstage between staff and co-hosts, and between co-hosts and co-hosts, are detailed at great length. The book describes a clash between co-hosts Nicolle Wallace (who now hosts her own successful MSNBC program) and O’Donnell. O’Donnell was a co-host of the program through two runs, the first in 2006-2007 and the second in 2014-2015. Wallace, who is also a former George W. Bush administration official, was a co-host in 2014-2015. While O’Donnell and Wallace largely agreed with each other on screen, their relationship was acrimonious backstage, Setoodeh writes. O’Donnell’s anger often set off their clashes. The book describes how O’Donnell was upset that Wallace defended former President George W. Bush on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” and O’Donnell blew up at Wallace backstage. Later, O’Donnell became enraged in another meeting, which led Wallace to report her to human resources. O’Donnell told Setoodeh she was shocked that Wallace would report her to human resources “Are you kidding me? I raised my voice. I was in my dressing room, getting my makeup done, and somebody comes and goes, ’Nicolle Wallace just went to HR…” O’Donnell said. O’Donnell added a telling detail that speaks to the lack of oversight at the show: “I didn’t know what HR was, first of all.” O’Donnell also described Wallace bringing her husband to work that day to serve as a bodyguard of sorts. According to O’Donnell, Wallace told her, “I just felt you were threatening me.” The book doesn’t say whether human resources ever followed up with O’Donnell or Wallace about the report. O’Donnell and Wallace are friends now, Setoodeh says.

Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP Rosie O’Donnell spoke openly about clashes for the new book.