The View’s audience roars with laughter at the mention of Ben Carson’s name — and then things got worse for him

The mere mention of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson's name sent "The View" studio audience into hysterics, and the hosts proceeded to bash him through the segment.

Host Whoopi Goldberg pointed out the show, which was recently "the most important political TV show in America" by the New York Times, aired around the world, and she recalled a Nigerian viewer who called co-host Joy Behar funny.

"If you think Joy is funny listen to this," Goldberg said. "Housing Secretary Dr. Ben Carson testified before Congress yesterday and left people wondering if he actually knew what his job is."

The audience roared with laughter, and then watched a clip of Carson repeatedly flopping under questioning before the House Oversight Committee.

"Listen, man, you know, get out of there," Goldberg said. "Just stop. You're a great surgeon, you're a magnificent surgeon. I know this because Sunny (Hostin) told me, her husband -- you need to get out of HUD get out of there. The housing is bad."

Hostin, whose husband was one of Carson's students at Johns Hopkins University, said the secretary had been welcoming and gracious when she knew him, but she said he's got the wrong job.

"He's just unqualified, and he appears to be not a good person in this role," Hostin said. "He's not the nice Ben that I know.

Co-host Meghan McCain said Carson should go back to brain surgery, where she could help patients like her father, who died from a brain tumor, because he clearly couldn't oversee HUD.

"For me when you have this gift where you could be helping families like mine to sustain life," McCain said, "to help brain tumors, I don't understand when you have a gift like that why you're doing this. I think he's a genius doctor. I would prefer his talent going to helping brain tumors."

McCain said the secretary made a mockery of his government service by sending Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), who tripped him up repeatedly on his job basics, a box of Oreo cookies afterward.

"It's a reductive way to have a conversation about something that's very serious," she said. "That's why it's evoking so much emotional reaction from people. You're making fun of lower-income housing issues by sending Oreos and tweeting it to the woman who asked the question. It reduces the conversation."