Rosie's Gone From "The View"

She Exits Early After On-Air Battle With Co-Host Elisabeth Hasselbeck

(CBS/AP)  Rosie O'Donnell has fought her last fight at "The View."

ABC said Friday that O'Donnell has asked for, and received, an early exit from her contract at the daytime chat fest following her angry confrontation with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck on Wednesday. She was due to leave in mid-June.

It ended a colorful eight-month tenure for O'Donnell that lifted the show's ratings but no doubt caused heartburn for show creator Barbara Walters. O'Donnell feuded with Donald Trump and frequently had snippy exchanges with the more conservative Hasselbeck.

O'Donnell said last month she would be leaving because she could not agree to a new contract with ABC executives.

"Rosie contributed to one of our most exciting and successful years at `The View,"' Walters said. "I am most appreciative. Our close and affectionate relationship will not change."

In a statement, O'Donnell said that "it's been an amazing year and I love all three women."

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Photos: Rosie O'Donnell

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No one was feeling the love on Wednesday, when the argument with Hasselbeck began over O'Donnell's statement last week about the war: "655,000 Iraqi civilians have died. Who are the terrorists?"

Talk show critics accused O'Donnell of calling U.S. troops terrorists. She called Hasselbeck "cowardly" for not saying anything in response to the critics.

"Do not call me a coward, because No. 1, I sit here every single day, open my heart and tell people what I believe," Hasselbeck retorted, and their riveting exchange continued despite failed attempts by their co-hosts to cut to a commercial.

Also on Friday, the network said that promotional photos of Hasselbeck that hang in "The View's" offices had been defaced but did not say by whom.

However, the New York Post reported that Janette Barber, O'Donnell's chief writer, was escorted from the building after she was caught drawing moustaches on the photos. The newspaper said that Barber is an old friend of O'Donnell who worked with her on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show."

O'Donnell was not on the show Thursday because she was celebrating her partner's 40th birthday and Friday's broadcast was previously recorded.

Even before the fight on Wednesday, O'Donnell posted a message on her blog that said she wanted to "move on" from the show.

On Thursday, she posted messages on her Web site indicating she might not be back. "When painting there is a point u must step away from the canvas as the work is done," she wrote. "Any more would take away."

A video she posted on Friday seemed more upbeat. The clip showed photos of her time with Barbara Walters and Hasselbeck on "The View," a retrospective of sorts. Cyndi Lauper's "Sisters of Babylon" played in the background.

[erasmus6]

Agnim

Hmmmm, judging from most of the posts that I have read of yours, I would have to say that you are worse than what you consider Rosie to be. I would say that you also then must be contaminating the people around you because like I said your posts have left me with a very low opinion of you. Actually I find you a very disgusting person. Just my opinion of course, although I think that if anyone else should recall any of your other posts, most would agree with me.

[agnim]

"against Rosie, it is about the fact that she is gay and fat and not so much about what she says. ... then I would say from reading your post that you would be worse that she.
Posted by erasmus6 at 01:35 PM : May 28, 2007"
Is the police worse than the criminal because he rightly seeks to put the criminal out of business? NO!
It is not the wrongdoer who seeks to correct a wronging. Try and learn something; since your parents caused you to miss the boat earlier on.

Those who go about condoning/promoting homosexual perversion to contaminate the minds of the young are criminals. And in a more alert society, they would be confined on account of their deviant behavior.

So you are wrong about why that loud mouth ***** is targeted: It is precisely because of what is 'said' in the promotions of perversion over the airwaves, and also for corrupting the children that she and that other dumb di-ike have at home.

[kevzgrl]

Putting aside all the nastiness, hatred, homophobia and name-calling for a minute; How many of you have actually WATCHED the entire 10 minute video of the discussion/disagreement between Rosie and Elizabeth and how many of you only heard about it thru the grapevine or the media and are spewing all this hate and anger simply because you don't like Rosie?

I watched the whole thing, and the one thing I kept getting from it was that Elizabeth was yelling and pointing fingers and talking over all Rosie's efforts to speak her piece, practically coming across the desk at Rosie when she tried to answer. Now, how is that Rosie's fault? Elizbeth started the whole thing, by yelling and flouncing around in her chair and arguing when Rosie had a legitimate question, which Elizabeth never did answer - Rosie was right when she said Elizabeth would "doublespeak". But, to hear a lot of you, Rosie was picking on poor pathetic little Elizabeth, and it was all HER fault.

Rosie, you have a fan here, and I hope to see you back on TV soon - not on the View, though, because I will NEVER watch it again - no matter who they dredge up to fill that chair.

[erasmus6]

Agnim

You really do need to get a grip. You need to go back and read your own post. People don't like Rosie for whatever reasons but I have never heard Rosie spew the kind of verbal diarrhoea that you have just posted. If anyone is evil I think it is you.
I will say it again, I think with most people that are spewing their hated against Rosie, it is about the fact that she is gay and fat and not so much about what she says. In other words YOU ARE ALL PREJUDICED! If it was just about what she says, then I would say from reading your post that you would be worse that she.

[erasmus6]

justfacts2

There you go again speculating! You need to start sticking to the FACTS. Does the article say that she left because of that? NO. Now for a moment I will do some speculating, which I usually try to avoid. I would say that she told them that she wasn't coming back and then upon hearing that, her writer took it upon herself to deface the photos.

But my whole point is that neither one of us knows for sure what happened, so I will repeat what I said before: STOP SPECULATING! Either that or change your name from JUSTFACTS2 to the "QUEENofSPECULATION".

[agnim]

You did it, Donald. You silence the pervert.

Good to see that fat, ugly, deviant, loud ***** witch off the air. Now America's children can get some respite from the homosexual brainwashed from the evil ***!

We need to go further with this loud mouth *****, and see that those unfortunate children are removed from the presence of the deviants.

[leopoldthelm]

I am afraid of expressing what Rosie said, but think about it. . .we invaded Iraq. . .this had to be done, but not on lies "weapons of mass. . ."

You get Spit Balls thrown at you if you say anything bad about the war. We can be an American without agreeing on everything.

Elisabeth is is the trouble maker, I don't watch ABC anymore! I don't like how they treat people of color, there I said IT!

[zimexlady]

SKEETERZIMBA says, "MY mother taught me to say nothing if you had nothing nice to say"......Rosie's mother NEVER taught her that so why are you excusing her?

[oped1969]

skeetersimba,

Apparently and unfortunately, Rosie's father was not able to teacher her the same manners.

RenaissanceWoman

[kailumego1]

Iceman, keep on making enemies of nations, because those that the U.S. ostracizes will form alliances and become more powerful, as the only advantage the West has had over developing countries is advance technological development and industrialization.

So, I guess when Japan defeated the Russians in 1912, it was because the Japanese a smaller country was more skilled with advanced technology.

Likewise, when the African slaves rose up and defeated the French in Haiti they were also skilled with advanced technology.