Rosie O'Donnell: Barbara Walters Exaggerates, There Was No Camaraderie Off-Camera On "The View"

UPDATE: Walters responded saying "Get a life"

Rosie O'Donnell, whose NBC variety show airs next week, cannot shake questions about her tumultuous time on "The View." And Wednesday morning, she fanned the flames by telling reporters that Barbara Walters misrepresents the camaraderie among co-hosts of "The View."

The Los Angeles Times' Denise Martin reports:

Barbara Walters, [Rosie] told reporters on Wednesday morning, "wanted everyone to believe and think and act as if [the women on 'The View'] get along and are really good friends and happy and hang out together, and, you know, that's just not the reality.

"I'm not saying they loathe each other, but the fact of the matter is, there was not a lot of camaraderie off camera."

O'Donnell famously exited the ABC daytime talk show after months of politically charged bickering with her co-hosts, among them Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who came under scrutiny again in this election year as the show's only staunchly conservative voice.

But she conceded "arguing about politics is not the best use of my talent."

"I didn't grow up thinking, 'I hope I can talk about politics.' If you watch my stand-up comedy, I talk about my life, my family. It only became about [politics] with the job on 'The View.'

Rosie's former sparring partner, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, has been at the center of countless fights on "The View" this election season, but Rosie has reportedly mended fences with the conservative co-host (despite calling her Sarah Palin's "identical cousin" and saying both are "women who hunt in high heels").

There have long been rumors of a feud between Rosie and Barbara Walters, though Walters denies them and has said she has "enormous affection" for Rosie. Rosie has said that Walters fired her from "The View," despite the official stance that it was a mutual agreement that she would leave the program.

"Rosie Live" airs Nov. 26 at 8PM, and is expected to feature Liza Minnelli, Alec Baldwin, Ne-Yo, Alanis Morissette, Gloria Estefan, Kathy Griffin and Jane Krakowski.

The headline and body of this article originally suggested Rosie O'Donnell said Barbara Walters lies about the co-hosts' camaraderie. Upon reevaluating the story, the word "lies" was removed in favor of "exaggerates" and "misrepresents."

Comments

[MilesTone]

HuffPo, I like your site, but have some integrity and stop printing misleading titles to your articles!!!

[hotstuff]

Blah, Blah ,Blah! I stoped watching the view when Rose left. I do like whoopi however!

[cicibean]

I tend to believe Rosie. I never liked Barbara Walters- something about her just turns me off. Although I certainly don't know her, she seems like a phony. Does she really think women are so DUMB that they actually believe they all LOVE each other? Come on.. I just wish Joy would tell it like it really is, but she likes her job so........that's that.

[helgathewitch]

I don't think WaWa listened to the entire interview. She is now slamming Rosie who was only answering questions TRUTHFULLY!

[ZimboChick]

Brbra denies denies denies but some of us are not stupid. There s no love lost between Joy and Elisabeth for sure. She should just get rid of that shriller

[Timemanager]

I find this is smoke and mirrors, Rosie did not say she lied, common give it a rest, she just stated a probable fact, look at the view from today, they went to the Cirque yesterday, they all said they do not go out together. So let dead dogs lie. Rosie and all of the people on the View are relevant and this media grab is just over the top

[brownbodie]

I agree with eric8869 they keep Elisabeth Hasselback, with all her baggage because Geddes is a Republican. Surely, they could find a more intellectual Republican somewhere in America to replace her.

[ptarantino]

Rosie took on a real issue of the details on what really happened on 9.11

Barbra & a lot of people didn't want to hear it, they want to take the no pain ever pill & pretend...

[9liberal]

what i don't like is how the view coddles elisabeth. she says the most hateful ridiculous moronic things and there is never any accountability for how she acts. she clearly drives others insane and makes them want to leave the view.
i think it is important to have the conservative opinion stated, but it has to be based on education and not crazy emotion!

[Eric8869]

It's because Bill Gedde their producer is a Republican

[ylpatriot]

bingo !!! and the view...getting to be quite a drag ... led by the biggest drag Babawawa

[08politicaljunkie]

I agree. It would be more credible to have a learned person on the show -- stating facts -- not just parroting campaign talking points and expressing "crazy emotion" like you stated.

[lwilkerson50]

I agree.

[shelsay]

Personally I think Barbara Walters is really out of touch. When she's on the show she brings up random topics and babbles on and on about things that the average person cares nothing about. On the other hand, Barbara has built a really strong show over the years and though I've gone back and forth with boycotting and loving the show, it's a better show without Rosie. She is the type of person who needs her own thing. Good for her for moving on, and good for the View for coming out of the election season with viewers, b/c they almost lost me for good.

[OmegaPhoenix]

During an episode of The View, Rosie committed the "cardinal sin" of being so out there, that Sean Hannity appeared to be the voice of reason. She should pay some sort of penance for that act alone.

[Eric8869]

What show were you watching. Nice try.

[OmegaPhoenix]

This episode:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYx0k1IHLZo

The way she called Sean "delusional" (not something I disagree with, by the way) didn't help her point about what was going on at Abu Ghraib.

[ttowse]

Welcome back Rosie. Glad to see America has a fighting chance. Good luck with your show and thanks for staying REAL.

Call them as you see them girl. Hey Donald and Rosie, it isn't all about the money. When you die you are going to leave as much as the rest of us. All of it. Be a gentleman and a lady and say, I am sorry.

To error is human, to forgive, divine.

[marcain]

Beware of the blob, it creeps
And leaps and glides and slides
Across the floor
Right through the door
And all around the wall
A splotch, a blotch
Be careful of the blob *POP*

[Clavis]

I'll bet you're a regular Adonis.

[marcain]

Yes.

[StephenDedalus82]

Barbara Walters is unfailingly polite, meaning we'll never get the truth from her.

[Eric8869]

Even polite when she's firing people

[ylpatriot]

its time for baba wawa to move on like the gal who whispers in her ear... but really move on !!! way on!! time for the view to bite the dust !! i dont watch it anymore .....and have not for a very long time

[peanut]

Rosie, Barbara W., Elizabeth and the Donald are just of a few of the New York City media gang that I choose to ignore. They are all about self promotion and I honestly don't give a rat's ass what they think about anything..­..politics included. We all have our causes and our own story of life struggles, but they are the ones who have OUR media waves to air their opinions. From what I know about all of them, they need to clean-up their acts and deal with their messed up lives, not give out advice to the rest of us.
In the meantime,I say, "turn off the TV and find some constructive, life-enhancing forms of entertainment. " You will be happier and better off by doing so. Why seek conflict in your daily lives...especially that of people who mean little or nothing to you? Boring.....

[Clavis]

LOL "New York City media gang"? Where do YOU live? You choose to ignore these people, yet you know who they are and you've heard enough of what they have to say that you've decided what they're all about, but you're soooo bored by them?

Maybe "they" have OUR media waves (what the hell are "media waves") because people like you talk about them?

[Savetheworld]

I consider myself a strong democrat, and I TIVO The View everyday. While I liked Rosie on the show, many of her comments were disgustingly ignorant and completely turned people off from the rest of her opinions: like the times she equated the troops to terrorists and blamed the government for 9/11. She often threw these comments out there with no explanation or evidence... The View is better now with Whoopi, who is an educated and intelligent debater.

[Eric8869]

She didn't equate the troops to terrorists. She was talking about how some people in IRAQ perceive the troops. Not liberators but invaders.

Faux news spun it that she was attacking the troops.

She also said she thought more should be looked into 9-11 and why building seven collapsed. She never said that the government was to blame.

Nice right wing spin.

[Savetheworld]

Eric,
She said, "500,000 Iraqi civilians are dead, who are the terrorists?" By putting that insinuation out there, she left it open for interpretation, and it seems as though she is equating the troops to terrorists. Elisabeth was right on this one...Rosie needed to defend her own insinuations.

[marriage116]

I watch The View everyday. No, Rosie did not directly say "I think our troops are terrorists" but what she did say she said in such a way to make you think that is what she really meant but knew she would be lambasted for saying it directly. She has said more than once on her blog that she questions the official story of 9/11. She tells people to google articles all the time that do think 9/11 was an inside job. So one would have to assume that she agrees with these articles if she encourages people to read them. I heard Bill clinton say at a rally that anybody believes anything other than it was Bin Laden is an idiot. She is a very funny comedian and that is where she should leave it.

[alsm9]

^ Totally agree! It amuses me that some people call themselves "strong deomcrats" but still buy into right wing spin and propaganda. Clearly they are republicans.