During the mayhem of 2020 and at the height of the pandemic, The View cohost Sara Haines packed up her family from the hustle and bustle of New York living and moved the clan to New Jersey.

Nothing against the City that Never Sleeps, but the confines of their small apartment were a bit too confining for the family of five, which needed room to grow.

“It is so simple. It’s biking, scootering. We spend a lot of time outdoors. That’s the main thing that I wanted, being out here,” she says of her free time when the cameras stop rolling.

The View cohost and her husband, Max Shifrin, had been searching for a new abode before finally putting down roots in the Garden State. Originally from Iowa, Haines found that their New Jersey home offered everything she wanted (and more) for her three kids, giving them the picturesque life she experienced growing up in the Midwest.

“To me, what I love about where we live now is, it takes it back to the basics I grew up with. It’s about family, it’s about community, it’s about church. The people I gravitate towards in my community have kind of filled that hole that I hadn’t [filled] since I had grown up at a much slower pace,” Haines told New Jersey Monthly about her decision to move out of New York.

Since moving to New Jersey, Haines has embraced her new life by joining a local running club, indulging in the local fare — particularly at Liv Breads in Millburn, where she admits, “We also probably consume more pizzas from Liv than any family” — and spending quality time with her family. On Instagram, she keeps it real: often sharing no-makeup posts with her family as they enjoy neighborhood events, explore the outdoors, and savor the simple moments of suburban living.

Over the summer, the family visited Garden State Parkway, a small reprieve before beginning season 29 of The View, which premieres on September 8. But just because she traded in NY for the suburbs of NJ, doesn’t mean she doesn’t miss the hectic banter of The View. She misses her cohosts.

“It’s like every girlfriend you’ve ever sat down and had a glass of wine with,” Haines said of cohosts Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Ana Navarro.

“You don’t just talk about being a mom. You talk about your job. You talk about what’s in the news. You talk about the newest face trend in plastic surgery. It encapsulates the layers of women.”

However, according to Haines, her most heated discussions happen at her monthly neighborhood book club gatherings. They are so engaging, Haines once didn’t head home until after midnight on a Tuesday. “Those have honestly been my core group of women friends,” she says.

Known for her “everywoman” perspective, Haines first joined The View in September 2016, during the show’s 20th season. She stayed on as a co-host until 2018, when she left to co-host GMA Day (later Strahan and Sara). She then returned to The View as a permanent co-host in September 2020, rejoining the panel in Season 24.

Offering a moderate political voice, Haines is best known for being lighthearted and relatable, seen as a working mom from a middle-class background with Midwest roots. Known for her enthusiasm about pop culture, which balances out the heavy political segments.

The View, Weekdays, 11 a.m. ET, ABC