Rosie O’Donnell is leaving The View in mid-June after just one season as co-host! "My needs for the future just didn’t dovetail with what ABC was able to offer me," Rosie said in a statement. "This has been an amazing experience," Rosie said, "and one I wouldn’t have traded for the world."
O’Donnell announced her departure on Wednesday’s show, saying, "I’ve decided we couldn’t come to terms with my deal." Rosie said she wanted to sign up for one more year but that ABC wanted three years. "It just didn’t work," she said.
Rosie did say she will return next season to work on specials and guest host. "I’m not going away," she assured. "I’m just not here everyday."
Barbara Walters, who sat next to Rosie during the Hot Topics segment, said, "We have had, to say the least, an interesting year … an exciting, fun-filled, provocative year. We have all gotten together and you will be missed."
Walters, The View‘s creator and co-executive producer, also released a statement saying, "I induced Rosie to come back to television on The View even for just one year. She has given the program new vigor, new excitement and wonderful hours of television. I can only be grateful to her for this year. I am very sad that ABC Daytime could not reach an agreement with her for a second year. We will all miss Rosie on The View, and hope she will be back with us often next season. She remains for me a cherished friend and colleague."
Donald Trump, Rosie’s rival, told Fox News: "Rosie is a loser and she continues to be a loser. She was fired from ABC and I’m proud to say that I probably had a part in it."
