Rosie O’Donnell, the 64-year-old comedian, has expressed that she would be open to returning to the set of ABC's "The View" to participate in the show's 30th-anniversary celebration next year. Speaking on the Monday, Aug. 3, episode of the "Tangle With Kyle Ridley" podcast, O'Donnell suggested she would be happy to appear in any capacity the production team requests. She noted that she is proud of the show and how it has evolved to speak to people and politics, a dynamic she felt was not present when she first joined the program.
O'Donnell's history with the talk show began in 2006 when she took over for cohost and moderator Meredith Vieira. Her initial tenure ended the following year, marked by a heated on-air confrontation with cohost Elisabeth Hasselbeck and a reported failure to reach a contract renewal with the network. Whoopi Goldberg was subsequently brought on to replace O'Donnell as the moderator. The two later shared the screen when O'Donnell returned to the show in 2014, though she exited again five months later, citing heart issues. The current lineup of the show includes Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Ana Navarro.
Reflecting on her relationship with Goldberg, O'Donnell told the podcast that she has long admired the EGOT status of her former colleague. She explained that she had hoped for a collaborative partnership, stating, "I admire Whoopi, wanted to be on her team. I expected we would be like Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan passing the ball back and forth and then shooting and leading the team to victory. But that's not exactly what happened." O'Donnell speculated that Goldberg may have felt "encroached upon" during their time together, but she emphasized that they have since moved past those issues. She recently told "Andy Cohen Live" that she has been friendly with the "very kind" Goldberg since their "disastrous tag-team hellacious 'View' extravaganza."
This recent perspective contrasts with her comments in the 2019 book "Ladies Who Punch," an exposé on the show by Ramin Setoodeh, where O'Donnell described working with Goldberg as the "worst experience I've ever had on live television." O'Donnell later criticized Setoodeh for his portrayal of the show, calling her 20-minute interview with the Variety editor-in-chief her "biggest regret."
Currently residing in Ireland, where she moved during President Donald Trump's second term due to what she described as an "overwhelmingly depressing, unconstitutional, illegal [and] criminal" political climate, O'Donnell has recently addressed her career future. Following a guest host role on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," she denied speculation that she was eyeing a late-night hosting gig. "I’m not interested in doing late night – daytime however would be interesting," she stated, adding that she plans to remain in Ireland while her child starts eighth grade.
"I will go on the 30th anniversary next year and be on in whatever way they want me, just as a guest. They're bringing back all the hosts, I think, for the 30th season," she said. "I'm proud of that show and what it's become and how it really speaks to people and politics. And that's not the case when I first joined."
Now, "we've gotten past it," O'Donnell said.
