'The View' Ripped By Fans For Snubbing Rosie O'Donnell From Late Co-Host Barbara Walters' Tribute
Jan. 3 2023, Published 6:15 p.m. ET
Fans of the long-running daytime talk show The View are not pleased by the show's decision to snub Rosie O'Donnell from their Barbara Walters tribute video, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Walters passed away on December 30 at age 93. To honor the former View star, the show invited a slew of former co-hosts to celebrate the iconic journalist's legacy — however, a crucial person in Walters' life was left out.
Fans were not pleased and made their unhappiness known for the cruel diss towards the comedian.
Current stars of The View — Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Joy Behar, and Alyssa Farrah Griffin — were on set for an emotional episode that paid homage to their late former co-host, Walters.
As part of the touching tribute, past co-hosts were invited to rejoin the iconic table and reflect on Walter's life and iconic work. Fans were quick to notice one particular ex-host was absent from the discussion.
Viewers were "disappointed" by the O'Donnell snub and voiced their opinions on the matter. O'Donnell first joined the show in 2006 and co-hosted for eight months.
While on The View, O'Donnell often clashed with her fellow co-host in the show's typical fashion. Most notable among her feuds was with fellow host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who was in attendance for Walter's tribute. Hasselbeck was known for having a more conservative view during her tenure from 2003 to 2013.
The comedian left the show after less than a year as a co-host following a heated debate with Hasselbeck over the Iraq war.
Years later, in 2014, O'Donnell rejoined the cast alongside fellow comedian Goldberg. The reunion did not last long and O'Donnell exited the talk show once again in 2015.
Nonetheless, viewers were outraged that O'Donnell didn't get an invite.
"Excellent show, but missing my two favorite hosts, Rosie O'Donnell and Ana Navarro. I see you're still trying to pretend Rosie was never there," one viewer replied to The View's tweet, which featured a clip from the tribute episode.
Another fan echoed the sentiment, posting, "I know the show has bad blood with Rosie O’Donnell, but it would’ve been nice if they’d included her today."
"Disappointed that Rosie O'Donnell was not there because they had a special relationship," read another viewer's tweet.
Others felt that the comedian's history with the show could have prevented her from attending, rather than a choice by The View.
"I keep seeing people talking about Rosie not being there... perhaps she did not want to be a part of the tribute," the fan speculated.