Alright, here's the scoop, folks. Rosie O’Donnell has never been one to shy away from speaking her mind, and her latest revelations about her time on The View are no exception. In the new book Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of The View, the 57-year-old star lays it all out, giving us a front-row seat to what it was really like working alongside Whoopi Goldberg on the iconic daytime talk show. According to Rosie, Whoopi wasn't exactly the warm, fuzzy cohost she might have hoped for. "Whoopi Goldberg was as mean as anyone has ever been on television to me, personally — while I was sitting there," Rosie revealed to author Ramin Setoodeh. "Worse than Fox News. The worst experience I’ve ever had on live television was interacting with her." Now, that's some real talk, right there.
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Now, Rosie only cohosted The View for two seasons — first joining in 2006 and leaving in 2007, only to return briefly from 2014 to 2015. But even in that short span, she felt the need to slam Whoopi, 63, for making her time on the show feel like a living nightmare. "Some people would say, 'What’s going on with you and Whoopi?' I was like, 'Are you watching the show? It’s pretty much right there.' I have no desire for a public feud," Rosie explained in the book. It's clear that the tension between the two was palpable, and Rosie didn't shy away from addressing it.
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Rosie and Whoopi: A Respectful Rivalry
Despite all the drama, Rosie made it clear that she still holds immense respect for Whoopi. "She’s a minority, feminist, smart, funny, groundbreaking legend who is black in America," Rosie admitted. "I’m never going to not have respect for Whoopi Goldberg. But that was a painful experience, personally and professionally." It’s a testament to Rosie's ability to separate personal struggles from professional admiration, and it shows just how complex their relationship really was.
Backstage Drama: Rosie's Thoughts on Elisabeth Hasselbeck
But the drama doesn't stop there. Rosie didn't hold back when it came to her working relationship with Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who was on The View from 2003 until 2013. In Setoodeh's tell-all book, Rosie revealed she had a bit of a crush on the 41-year-old star. "There was a little bit of a crush. But not that I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to support, raise, elevate her, like she was the freshman star shortstop and I was the captain of the team," Rosie explained. "I was going to Scottie Pippen her. If I was [Michael] Jordan, I was going to give her the ball and let her shoot. But it was in no way sexualized." It’s a fascinating insight into how Rosie approached her relationships with her cohosts, showing a side of her that's both deeply supportive and unapologetically honest.
