Former The View host Debbie Matenopoulos has thrown her hat in the ring to become the next U.S. ambassador to Greece, a role that opened this week after President Donald Trump asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign.
Guilfoyle had been nominated for the role by Trump in late 2024 but wasn’t sworn in until September 2025. She then resigned this week following an explosive report alleging she pleaded with a Trump donor to pay off her credit card bill.
Matenopoulos — who has no diplomatic training — kicked off a social media campaign Thursday and posted a video of herself in which she listed her eligible traits for the role, including speaking the language, publishing a Greek cookbook, and starting a Greek skincare line.
“No. 1, I speak the language. It was my first language before I even spoke English. No. 2, I have a Greek passport,” she said, also noting that her relatives live there, and that she was the first member of her family to be born in the U.S.
“I understand the politics, the government, the people, I have many connections...and I love the country,” she said.
“I believe that the United States and Greece could have better relations than we already do, and coming from someone who speaks the language and has a connection to the country is a good place to start.”
She also highlighted her favorable extracurriculars, writing, “I have two very successful, best selling Greek cookbooks” and “I have a very successful Greek skincare line.”
She then addressed the outgoing Greek ambassador, saying: “No disrespect to Kimberly Guilfoyle. You don’t need any qualifications to be an ambassador to any country… you just need to be an entrepreneur, a successful businesswoman or businessman, or political donor. And you have to be approved by the president and the U.S. Senate.”
“To the people of Greece and America, please let me represent you as your new ambassador to Greece,” she told the camera.
Matenopoulos told Page Six that she was incredibly serious about taking on the role, saying: “All of my journalism training and live TV skills have seriously prepared me more for this position than most.”
She added: “You don’t need to have a life in politics to do this… I have 30 years of live TV experience. That’s well over 10,000 hours of speaking in front of people on massive scales, and also bringing people together and making them feel seen.”
The TV host told the outlet that her friends had already reached out to Trump on her behalf.
“This is not about a political party or an administration for that matter. It’s about building solid relations for both countries involved that go far beyond anyone’s time in the White House,” she said.
Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host and ex-fiancée of Donald Trump Jr., resigned from her role following an explosive report alleging she pleaded with a Trump donor to pay off her $100,000 American Express credit card bill. Guilfoyle called the allegations “false” and said she was fighting “vigorously” against them.
Trump told the press after her resignation: “She went to Greece, she was doing a good job, but we didn’t like what we were reading.”
Guilfoyle said in a social media statement: “Serving as the United States Ambassador to Greece has been the honor of a lifetime. From my first day as Ambassador, I have worked tirelessly to advance President Trump’s America First agenda, strengthen our strategic alliance with Greece, and deliver meaningful victories for the American people.”
Matenopoulos studied journalism at New York University and co-hosted The View from 1997 to 1999. She went on to appear on a range of daytime TV shows including Good Day Live, Insider and Home & Family.
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