‘The View’ Hosts Blasted For Ruining Barbara Walters Tribute

Fans of The View were not happy after the show excluded former host, Rosie O’Donnell, from their tribute to the show’s creator, Barbara Walters, who died Friday at the age of 93. Several former hosts joined the current cast to honor Walters on Tuesday, but Rosie was noticeably absent. 

The View’s current panel, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, and Alyssa Farah Griffin, led the tribute to the trailblazing journalist and were joined by a group of former hosts, both in person and virtually. Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, Debbie Matenopoulos, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Sherri Shepherd, and Lisa Ling all made appearances, but loyal fans quickly noticed that Rosie was left out of the lineup. 

Rosie appeared on the talk show for eight months after joining the cast in 2006. Rosie and Elisabeth, who appeared on The View for a decade, often clashed over political issues during the comedian’s stint on the show. Rosie left the series after verbally sparring with the conservative panelist over the Iraq war. Rosie returned for a short time in 2014 amid a show revamp but exited again in February 2015. 

Many fans took to social media to complain about Rosie being shut out of the emotional episode, despite her history of stirring up controversy on live TV. 

One viewer wrote—“I know the show has bad blood with Rosie O’Donnell, but it would’ve been nice if they’d included her today.”

Another person said—“Sure would of liked to seen Rosie and Raven [Symone]’s interview of being on #TheView. I guess they were the underdogs.”

A third chimed in—“What a lovely memorial to Barbara Walters. But where is Rosie O’Donnell? I loved her on The View. If you can have E. Hasselbeck, Rosie should be on as well.”

One fan tweeted—“Disappointed that Rosie O’Donnell was not there because they had a special relationship.”

Another added—“I keep seeing people talking about Rosie not being there….perhaps she did not want to be a part of the tribute.”

A rep for Rosie told TVLine that the comedian was invited to take part in the special tribute but was “on a plane and couldn’t change her schedule.”

Several former hosts also reunited in June 2022 to celebrate the daytime chat show’s 25th anniversary. Fans were sad that the show’s creator did not appear and took to social media to share concerns over Walters’ absence.

Walters died on December 30 in her New York City home, following years of privately battled health issues. 

The View premiered in 1997, with five women on the cast — Meredith, Star, Joy, Debbie, and Barbara. Joy Behar is the only original cast member still on the series. The show marked the 25-year milestone with a big reunion at New York’s Essex House, the spot where the group’s original auditions took place. 

 

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