Rosie O’Donnell Calls 2007 Clash with Elisabeth Hasselbeck a ‘Set-Up’

Rosie O’Donnell is convinced that her heated exchange with Elisabeth Hasselbeck on-air in 2007 was orchestrated by producers.

Reflecting on the confrontation during her time as a cohost on ABC’s The View nearly two decades ago, O’Donnell was direct: “I believe the whole thing was a set-up,” she stated on Nova’s Ricki-Lee, Tim & Joel program on Monday, October 6.

Commenting on the production elements of the argument, which featured a splitscreen displaying both O’Donnell and Hasselbeck, she remarked, “Our producer [was] not someone who would do that spontaneously … he wouldn’t have just said, ‘Let’s go to a splitscreen.’ That was premeditated.”

The intense dispute arose from their clashing political views, culminating after several on-air disagreements throughout the daytime talk show’s tenth season.

As they shouted across the panel with fellow hosts Sherri Shepherd and Joy Behar looking on, O’Donnell and Hasselbeck exchanged barbs for roughly 10 minutes. Reflecting on the altercation in her recent interview, O’Donnell expressed her disbelief at the reaction from Hasselbeck.

“What I was thinking the whole time was, ‘I can’t believe this woman, after all I’ve done for her,’” O’Donnell reminisced. “When I accepted that job, I promised myself that I wouldn’t be her enemy [and] that I would approach her as a person.”

O’Donnell shared that she had taken Hasselbeck under her wing when they first got acquainted. “She visited my home. She swam in my pool with her little one. I took her kid to Sesame Street Live. I took her to her first Broadway premiere,” O’Donnell explained. “I made every effort for this woman, and here she was attacking me on live television over my patriotism.”

Additionally, the Flintstones actress disclosed what transpired after the cameras stopped rolling, including her choice to leave The View as a direct result. “After I exited the stage that day, I went to my dressing room to gather my things for the remaining segments … and then I walked out and never returned,” O’Donnell revealed. “It felt as if I was part of a basketball team of five women, but one kept tripping me on my way to the hoop. … This was supposed to be my team.”

O’Donnell’s decision to leave was later confirmed in a statement from ABC, which indicated that she had requested to be released from her contract with The View. The network and O’Donnell mutually agreed to shorten her contract on May 25, 2007. (O’Donnell did return to The View in 2024 but left after five months for personal reasons.)

Regarding the network’s choice to end O’Donnell’s contract prematurely, she stated on air that it was a wise decision. “They made the right call in having me exit that show,” she remarked. “It’s not the best environment for me to serve the talent and the viewers, as arguing about absurd, fabricated issues leads to a slow demise.”