Rosie O’Donnell is quitting ‘The View,’ but everyone’s pretending that everything’s OK

When news blew up over the weekend that Rosie O’Donnell planned to quit “The View” — yes, again — it was reasonable to assume that the panelists, never ones to shy from “hot topics,” would, you know, at least mention it on Monday’s episode.

But O’Donnell showed up for work as usual, along with the rest of the panel: Moderator Whoopi Goldberg, along with Rosie Perez and Nicolle Wallace.

No one said a word about it.

“So,” Whoopi Goldberg laughed at the top of the show. This opener drew a sustained, knowing cheer from the audience, sensing she was about to cue up something big.

Instead, Whoopi was all business. “Hello. Welcome to ‘The View,’” Whoopi said in a stilted tone. She turned to O’Donnell. “You had a big weekend this weekend, Rosie, tell everybody about it.”

“Yeah,” O’Donnell said, then offered this: “I had a documentary premiere at the Athena Film Festival.”

Um, OK? O’Donnell spent the next few minutes plugging her stand-up comedy documentary, which premieres on HBO this Saturday. And that was all we learned about O’Donnell. (An ABC rep confirmed that this is indeed her last week on the show.)

Strangely, she was much more open in the press about her reasons for leaving. She told People magazine that she was leaving because her doctor worried about the stress load attached to her job on “The View,” especially because O’Donnell had a heart attack in 2012. O’Donnell’s rep confirmed to Page Six that O’Donnell recently split with her wife, and that she wants to be home for her five kids.

“She is putting her personal health and family first,” said O’Donnell’s rep. “ABC has been wonderfully understanding and supportive of her personal decision to leave ‘The View.’”

As some may remember, this is the second time that an O’Donnell stint on the “The View” has led to disaster. In 2007, she abruptly quit after a fiery on-air argument with Elisabeth Hasselbeck about the Iraq War. (This was after multiple on-air controversies, including one famous battle with Donald Trump.)

An extensive report in Variety says that after she returned, a more subdued O’Donnell again clashed with executives, who wanted her to bring the ratings — and were unhappy when she could not.

Meanwhile, it could well be a sinking ship that O’Donnell is leaping from anyway. It’s no secret that “The View” ratings have been dropping this season – things haven’t been the same since creator Barbara Walters left last spring. ABC’s news division took over the program last year, but even reports of vicious squabbling (once a ratings driver!) may not be enough to save the show.

Emily Yahr, The Washington Post

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.