Anyone following the latest scoop on ABC's The View knows there's been no shortage of drama. Well, the latest news, while not so unexpected, is still quite shocking. Rosie O'Donnell has officially been confirmed as quitting the daytime talk show to concentrate on her family life.
The View has been on a very rocky road over the last few months with O'Donnell at the center of the bulk of it. It is no secret that she has had a on/off relationship with the show, having already exited once before in 2006 after making controversial comments about the Bush administration and their dealing with the war in Iraq. However, like with most relationship issues, time proved to be a powerful healer and in July of 2014 the two powerful entities joined forces once again. We're guessing this time, though, it's probably going to be a permanent split. As reported by Page Six, here is what O'Donnell's rep Cindi Berger had to say on her client's departure from the talk show and how her somewhat recent split with wife Michelle Rounds played into the decision:
I can confirm that Rosie and her wife Michelle split in November. Rosie has teens and an infant at home that need her attention. This has been a very stressful situation. She is putting her personal health and family first. ABC has been wonderfully understanding and supportive of her personal decision to leave ‘The View.’ Next week will be her last.
It was only a couple of months ago that O'Donnell was rumored to be leaving The View, so her certain exit isn't all together surprising. Apparently she has been having difficulty adjusting to her new role on the program, filling a panel seat vs. sitting in her prior chair of show moderator. Word spread across the internet late last year that the loud and outspoken O'Donnell was struggling with the current dynamic under current sitting moderator Whoopi Goldberg. Could Whoopi's now-infamous giant chair have finally put the nail in O'Donnell's coffin? If it did, we'll likely never get the full story anyhow. What we do know as far as the “on-record” story goes with O'Donnell's separation from The View is that it appears amicable. Here's what ABC said of the split in a recent statement:
Rosie is an immensely talented star who comes in each and every morning brimming with ideas, excitement and passion for the show. When she told us she wanted to exit ‘The View,’ we respected and understood her desire to put her well-being and her family first. We’re delighted she’s still part of the ABC family with upcoming guest appearances on ‘The Fosters,’ and we know she’ll return to ‘The View’ often with her unique point of view and updates on her work and her family.
How things will pan out from here is anybody's guess. Rumors recently started swirling that the show's other Rosie (Perez) was potentially going to be disposed of but ABC put those rumors to bed, calling the internet speculation “simply untrue.” Hopefully, for the sake of the show's survival they're telling the truth as losing both Rosies at the same time would likely prove devastating for ratings.
