# Michelle Collins (comedian)
**Michelle Collins** (full name Michelle Elizabeth Collins, born 1981) is an American comedian and talk show host best known as a co-host of the ABC daytime program *The View* during its 19th season and as the host of *The Michelle Collins Show* podcast.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/126132/michelle-collins) Her birth name was Michelle Cikk; her family changed the surname to Collins when she was a child.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2733198/bio/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Michelle Elizabeth Collins, born 1981; birth name Michelle Cikk[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/126132/michelle-collins) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2733198/bio/) |
| Breakthrough role | Co-host of *The View*, season 19, announced July 2015, replacing Rosie Perez[3](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/michelle-collins-join-view-host/story?id=32300023) • [4](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-michelle-collins-the-view-rosie-perez-20150713-story.html) |
| Tenure on The View | One season; her departure was reported in June 2016[5](https://www.thewrap.com/michelle-collins-out-as-the-view-co-host-after-1-season/) |
| Early career | Six years as managing editor of VH1's *Best Week Ever* website; host of *The Gossip Queens* and *Walk of Shame Shuttle*[3](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/michelle-collins-join-view-host/story?id=32300023) |
| Comedy honors | ECNY Award for Best Female Stand-up Comedian (2009); NewNowNext Award for Breakout Comic (2011)[6](https://www.caa.com/caaspeakers/michelle-collins/) |
| Podcast | *The Michelle Collins Show*, a weekly comedy podcast with daily episodes on Patreon[7](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-michelle-collins-show/id1242084389) |
| Live show | *Wait, Why Don't I Know You?*, performed at Joe's Pub in New York and booked for the Netflix Is A Joke Festival[8](https://www.theatrely.com/post/michelle-collins-really-wants-you-to-know-who-she-is) • [9](https://www.netflixisajokefest.com/shows/michelle-collins) |
## Early career in digital and television comedy
Collins built her comic voice online. As managing editor of VH1's now-defunct BestWeekEver.tv, she wrote recaps of shows such as *Top Chef*, awards broadcasts, and pop-culture events, developing what an [Entertainment Tonight](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment-tonight) profile described as a snappy online brand of humor.[10](https://www.etonline.com/news/172635_exclusive_backstage_with_michelle_collins_at_the_view_on_the_day_of_nursegate) That work earned two Webby Awards for Best Celebrity/Fan Blog.[11](https://www.jspevents.com/talent/michelle-collins)
**Television work followed.** She appeared as a talking head on *The Tyra Banks Show* and *Chelsea Lately*, hosted the syndicated series *The Gossip Queens*, served as a correspondent on VH1's *Big Morning Buzz Live*, and was featured on VH1's *Walk of Shame Shuttle*.[10](https://www.etonline.com/news/172635_exclusive_backstage_with_michelle_collins_at_the_view_on_the_day_of_nursegate) • [3](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/michelle-collins-join-view-host/story?id=32300023) Her stand-up work drew early recognition: the ECNY Award for Best Female Stand-up Comedian in 2009 and [Logo TV](https://www.edgepedia.org/logo-tv)'s NewNowNext Award for Breakout Comic in 2011.[6](https://www.caa.com/caaspeakers/michelle-collins/)
## The View
After guest-hosting *The View* for several months, Collins was announced on July 13, 2015 as a full-time co-host for the show's 19th season, taking the seat vacated by [Rosie Perez](https://www.edgepedia.org/rosie-perez), who had been the program's first Latina co-host.[3](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/michelle-collins-join-view-host/story?id=32300023) • [4](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-michelle-collins-the-view-rosie-perez-20150713-story.html) Creator and executive producer [Barbara Walters](https://www.edgepedia.org/barbara-walters) praised her as "outrageous and thoughtful," citing her "intelligence, quick wit and vast knowledge of pop culture."[3](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/michelle-collins-join-view-host/story?id=32300023)
Her season included a widely discussed episode in September 2015, later called "Nursegate," in which Collins and co-hosts [Joy Behar](https://www.edgepedia.org/joy-behar), Paula Faris, and [Raven-Symoné](https://www.edgepedia.org/raven-symone) mocked Miss Colorado's talent monologue about nursing, drawing immediate backlash online.[10](https://www.etonline.com/news/172635_exclusive_backstage_with_michelle_collins_at_the_view_on_the_day_of_nursegate) Retrospective accounts also note on-air incidents including criticism of then-presidential candidate [Carly Fiorina](https://www.edgepedia.org/carly-fiorina), a reported clash with management over her hosting style, reduced air time, and her departure at the end of the season.[12](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/the-view-star-michelle-collins-assumed-snub-amid-fake-rosie-odonnell-news) • [5](https://www.thewrap.com/michelle-collins-out-as-the-view-co-host-after-1-season/) Collins later described the experience as leaving her with what she jokingly called "PVSD" (Post Viewmatic Stress Syndrome).[12](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/the-view-star-michelle-collins-assumed-snub-amid-fake-rosie-odonnell-news)
In 2026, when former co-host [Rosie O'Donnell](https://www.edgepedia.org/rosie-odonnell) said on a podcast that all past hosts had been asked back for the show's 30th anniversary, Collins said publicly on Instagram that she had received no invitation; formal anniversary invitations had in fact not yet been sent, and she was later informed of the situation.[12](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/the-view-star-michelle-collins-assumed-snub-amid-fake-rosie-odonnell-news)
## Podcasting and live comedy
*The Michelle Collins Show* is billed as a comedy podcast in which Collins, described as being of "SiriusXM, View, Bravo, and Random Aftershow fame," co-hosts with a rotating roster of comedians, celebrities, and friends; the free feed updates weekly, with daily episodes and video content offered through her Patreon.[7](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-michelle-collins-show/id1242084389) Guests have included [Trixie Mattel](https://www.edgepedia.org/trixie-mattel) and Keltie Knight.[7](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-michelle-collins-show/id1242084389)
**Live performance remains central to her work.** Her show *Wait, Why Don't I Know You?*, whose title came from audience members asking why they did not know her after she opened for the cast of *Queer Eye* on tour, draws on childhood photographs from her upbringing in [South Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-florida) and her experience as what she calls an "FBC, Formerly Bullied Child."[8](https://www.theatrely.com/post/michelle-collins-really-wants-you-to-know-who-she-is) She has performed it at Joe's Pub in New York, a venue she praises for its intimacy, and the show was booked for the Netflix Is A Joke Festival, where billing described her as selling out dates of the tour.[8](https://www.theatrely.com/post/michelle-collins-really-wants-you-to-know-who-she-is) • [9](https://www.netflixisajokefest.com/shows/michelle-collins) Her 2024 UK tour *The Big Natural Tour* played the Soho Theatre in London; the Chortle review described her set as "chaotically freewheeling" and noted that she has ADHD.[13](https://www.chortle.co.uk/review/2024/06/26/55891/michelle_collins%3A_the_big_natural_tour?share=twitter)
She has also extended her hosting into other formats: a BritBox podcast co-hosted with the Scottish presenter [Edith Bowman](https://www.edgepedia.org/edith-bowman), appearances as a guest co-host on *Today with Hoda & Jenna*, and guest spots on *After Midnight*.[8](https://www.theatrely.com/post/michelle-collins-really-wants-you-to-know-who-she-is) • [1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/126132/michelle-collins) On PBS NewsHour's *Brief But Spectacular* segment, she commented on the abundance of white men hosting late-night talk shows and on being asked what it feels like to be a woman in comedy.[14](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/brief/208557/michelle-collins)
## References
1. [Michelle Collins, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/126132/michelle-collins)
2. [Michelle Collins, Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2733198/bio/)
3. [Michelle Collins to Join 'The View' as New Co-Host, ABC News (July 13, 2015)](https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/michelle-collins-join-view-host/story?id=32300023)
4. [Comedian Michelle Collins to join 'The View,' replacing Rosie Perez, Los Angeles Times (July 13, 2015)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-michelle-collins-the-view-rosie-perez-20150713-story.html)
5. [Michelle Collins Out as 'The View' Co-Host After 1 Season, TheWrap (June 3, 2016)](https://www.thewrap.com/michelle-collins-out-as-the-view-co-host-after-1-season/)
6. [Michelle Collins, Speaking Fee, Booking Agent, & Contact Info, CAA Speakers](https://www.caa.com/caaspeakers/michelle-collins/)
7. [The Michelle Collins Show, Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-michelle-collins-show/id1242084389)
8. [Michelle Collins Really Wants You To Know Who She Is, Theatrely (March 14, 2026)](https://www.theatrely.com/post/michelle-collins-really-wants-you-to-know-who-she-is)
9. [Michelle Collins, Netflix Is A Joke Festival 2026](https://www.netflixisajokefest.com/shows/michelle-collins)
10. [EXCLUSIVE: Backstage With Michelle Collins at 'The View' on the Day of Nursegate, Entertainment Tonight (September 24, 2015)](https://www.etonline.com/news/172635_exclusive_backstage_with_michelle_collins_at_the_view_on_the_day_of_nursegate)
11. [Hire Michelle Collins for Private & Corporate Events, Jay Siegan Presents](https://www.jspevents.com/talent/michelle-collins)
12. [One The View Star Really Thought She Had Been Snubbed When The Fake Rosie O'Donnell News Came Out, CinemaBlend (August 2026)](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/the-view-star-michelle-collins-assumed-snub-amid-fake-rosie-odonnell-news)
13. [Michelle Collins: The Big Natural Tour, review, Chortle (June 26, 2024)](https://www.chortle.co.uk/review/2024/06/26/55891/michelle_collins%3A_the_big_natural_tour?share=twitter)
14. [Michelle Collins, Comedian, Brief But Spectacular, PBS NewsHour](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/brief/208557/michelle-collins)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Television presenters and hosts › Talk show hosts*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license