Star Jones Talks Exit In Return To 'The View': 'It Was Ugly' (VIDEO)

Star Jones returned to "The View" on Wednesday and set the record straight about her nasty departure from the show almost six years after falling out with Barbara Walters.

Jones exited "The View" in a firestorm of controversy in 2006. ABC had decided not to renew her contract, and she retaliated by announcing that she would be leaving the show. Walters would not allow her back the next day. The feud escalated when Walters revealed that Jones had asked her fellow co-hosts to lie about her weight loss from gastric bypass surgery.

Jones' epic return to the show on Wednesday, however, was much more amicable. The former co-host made a guest appearance to raise awareness of heart disease, and Barbara Walters said that she was genuinely "so happy to welcome" her back. When asked how it felt, Jones pointed out all the changes on the set, and joked that she and co-host Sherri Shepherd were in fact two different black women.

Walters asked Jones to recount the details of her exit, which she did not seem eager to discuss. "Are we really going to go here, Barbara?" Jones asked, before proceeding to give her account.

"It was ugly," she remembered. "Nasty things were being said in the media, it just wasn't a good emotional time." She said she took "real responsibility" for her behavior, adding, "I came to congratulate all of you on what you have accomplished."

The roundtable also touched on the sticky subject of Jones' weight loss. "Just to clear it up, we tried to protect you," Walters said, clarifying that Jones had asked the co-hosts not to discuss her surgery.

Jones said that she did not want them to discuss the "private way I decided to lose weight." Walters pointed out that they had lied to viewers. Joy Behar said that she and the other co-hosts had been told to attribute the weight loss to pilates instead of gastric bypass.

Jones declared that she was both physically and emotionally healthy today. She and Walters discussed undergoing heart surgeries, which they received within two months of each other.

"You look great," Walters said. "You look healthy. And we really are happy that you're back."

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• Elisabeth Hasselbeck Confronts Bill Maher

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• Elisabeth Tears Up During Debate Over N-Word

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• Co-hosts Debate Abortion

• Elisabeth Confronts Kathy Griffin

• Whoopi Spars With Donald Trump Over Obama

• Whoopi, Barbara Confront Glenn Beck

Comments

[DeloresT]

07:38 PM on 02/24/2012

Star was fooled into coming back so that they could bully and harass her. It was embarrassing. Yikes! Two old white women ganging up on this black chick while 2 other black women looked on and said nothing. But, I'll bet the ratings were good and that's what's important(?).

[ptrgamb]

02:39 PM on 02/24/2012

This is another disgraceful in Walters' increasingly embarrassing broadcast career. Really, what a horrible display.

[My Comment]

01:16 PM on 02/24/2012

You can read people by just looking at them...

And Barbara is a person you can tell is her way or no way!!

[nltomboy2]

01:15 PM on 02/24/2012

Star Jones may have been an attorney, a prosecutor, but I find the word 'intelligent' a stretch.
'Vapid' with an indiagnosed personality disorder, such as histrionic, narcissistic, etc. I remember when she was getting ready for her faux wedding to Al Jones and just had to have a train on her dress that was longer than Princess Di's.....I'll take BW's bullying anyday. Star's a big girl and she did put all the others in a bad position. Payback's a _itch.......! but she had it coming!

[Ahfi2012]

02:38 PM on 02/24/2012

Compared to the rest, I will call Star 'intelligent' any day!! Any wonder 'the Donald' finds it very easy to take them apart on that show and call them all kinds of names?

[emperance]

01:05 PM on 02/24/2012

BA WA has no sense, why have her back --- EVER?

In fact, get rid of the entire show.

[ilovevegas]

09:48 AM on 02/24/2012

I saw this segment and I feel Star was attacked. I am no fan of the show or Star Jones but what I saw on the show that day reminded me of old fashioned bullying. Just my opinion.

[bellabeach]

11:41 AM on 02/24/2012

Agree!

[emperance]

01:03 PM on 02/24/2012

I wouldn't give a nickle for all of them COMBINED, but how can anyone defend Star?

[cre8ive]

11:33 PM on 02/23/2012

It's February. Ratings time. This was an uncreative way to get ratings and BW will try to ride out the rest of February with it. They'll talk about reactions in hot topics next show. This was clearly an ambush. It'll be interesting to see if any of them is woman enough to admit it.

[mdlt]

09:24 PM on 02/23/2012

why did they do this?

[olddognewtrick]

08:14 PM on 02/23/2012

if you think the exit was ugly....

[Kelly Cloud]

07:57 PM on 02/23/2012

Sad to see Barbara & Joy gang up on Star. Seems the classy thing to do would be to take the high road.

[kashiskay]

05:50 PM on 02/23/2012

Muahahahah PILATES? Okay, Star. We've would've believed that. Sorry to break it to ya, before Barbara Walters 'spilled the beans', I had already slipped and fell on them.

[sequarah]

04:48 PM on 02/23/2012

BW is very rude and disrespectful to her guests. She needs to retire from this show.

[camelias and sweet tea]

03:41 PM on 02/23/2012

Pleeeeze do not bring this one back to the show. Glad she is gone. Too bad she is on with Donny Deutsch everyday. Why?

[BlackPrincess]

12:47 PM on 02/23/2012

Star Jones' return to The View certainly made for good ratings...she looks GREAT.

[Kelly Shortt]

11:43 AM on 02/23/2012

Ratings must be down for the The View. How sad that Barbara and Joy had to act like children and bully their guest. This was an opportunity to show that they have moved on. Star showed that she is a class act. Whoopi and Sherry are too classy to be on this show and looked uncomfortable.

[sarac]

12:06 PM on 02/23/2012

Sherri classy??? You cannot be serious. The woman constantly talks about all the abortions she had and that the earth is flat.

[Laryssa]

12:35 PM on 02/23/2012

moderators didn't like my Sherri "uterus looks like it was dug out by a back_ho" Shepard comment.......yea!! Sherri's real "classy"

[lmclaurin]

02:45 PM on 02/23/2012

She doesn't "constantly" talk about anything. Stop spreading such hateful nonsense.

[camelias and sweet tea]

03:42 PM on 02/23/2012

Sherri classy? in what way please...