Michelle Collins is confirmed as a permanent 'View' co-host

Comedian Michelle Collins has been hired as a permanent co-host of The View, the chat show's moderator Whoopi Goldberg announced on Monday's edition of the program.

"We are kicking off today's show by making some View announcements and history. We've had so much fun hanging out with this young lady [as a guest panelist] that we asked her to become the 15th co-host to sit at the Hot Topics table. Please welcome the amazing and very, very funny Michelle Collins," Goldberg said.

"I'm shaking right now," Collins confessed. "I am so excited and I feel so lucky that I get to come here and spend this time with you. I just want to say very quickly, first of all, thank you to everyone who works on the show because it is the most amazing group of people. The cast and crew, everybody here is unbelievable. ... From Day 1, everybody has been so welcoming and wonderful and kind to me."

Goldberg said Collins would finish out the current 18th season and return for Season 19. Also confirmed to return after the summer hiatus are longtime panelist Goldberg and Raven-Symone, who joined the show full-time this spring.

Rosie Perez announced last week she will leave the program at the end of this season and her fellow, freshman co-host Nicolle Wallace has not said whether she will return when the show resumes in September.