Already have an account?
Get back to the

Elisabeth Hasselbeck Talks Rosie O’Donnell’s Return to The View: “I Wish Them Well”

Elisabeth Hasselbeck
Elisabeth Hasselbeck talked about Rosie O'Donnell's return to The View in a new interview with Parade.

Over and out! Elisabeth Hasselbeck opened up to Parade magazine about Rosie O’Donnell‘s return to The View and her first year at Fox & Friends in a Q&A published Tuesday, Sept. 16.

“I reached out to Rosie for many years, including the day after everything happened,” Hasselbeck, 37, told Parade, referring to their infamous on-air fight in 2007. “That’s something I’ve talked about time and again. I was not met with a response, but I wish them well.”

Related: PHOTOS: Epic talk show feuds and controversies

When the TV personality was asked why she thought O’Donnell was brought back to the show, she responded: “I have no clue.”

For Hasselbeck, not much has changed in her strained relationship with O’Donnell since her departure from The View in 2013 after nine years on the program. The Fox & Friends host ranted about O’Donnell’s return to the program back in July, saying it ruined her vacation. “I know Rosie very well. We worked quite closely,” Hasselbeck said on Fox & Friends. “Talk about not securing the border! Here in comes to The View, the very woman who spit in the face of our military, spit in the face of her own network, and really in the face of a person who stood by her and had vocalized debates from the time that she was there, coming back with a bunch of control ready to regain a seat at The View table.”

Related: PHOTOS: The biggest celeb feuds ever

elisabeth hasselbeck old view cast
Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Rosie O’Donnell, Barbara Walters and Joy Behar

The Fox News contributor (who marked her one-year anniversary on Tuesday) followed up her commentary several days later in an Instagram post. “I don’t hate Rosie,” Hasselbeck wrote. “I actually called to talk to her 7 years ago,” Hasselbeck claimed. “She did not want to speak to me.”

Despite her contentious relationship with O’Donnell, Hasselbeck holds no grudges against The View — or its creator Barbara Walters. “We say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” Hasselbeck told Parade of her abrupt departure. “I choose not to discuss any of that, because I like to honor the confidence and trust that I’ve been offered.”

Related: PHOTOS: Stars and their political affiliations

She went on to praise Walters, who retired from the show this past May. “Barbara Walters is and has been a great mentor to me. We have a familial relationship,” Hasselbeck revealed. “She taught me so much every day through her actions, her research, her commitment to curiosity. I love how she walks through history and asks questions through history, and I adore her. Professionally she has been such an ally for me, and tough on me like the best professor could be, and I love her. Those days for Barbara were breathtaking, because I just couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I was so happy that everybody came to celebrate her, as they should. To see her wonderfully celebrated in all that she’s done for women in broadcasting in every genre was a beautiful thing.”

Related: PHOTOS: Rosie's weight loss and transformation

With her busy schedule and early morning wake-up call, Hasselbeck has not stayed up on her latest talk show news. “I don’t even know who’s [on The View now]. Isn’t that terrible?” she said of the newly-revamped program. “I didn’t even know they were starting Monday.” She joked, “Are they celebrating my one-year [anniversary on Fox & Friends]?”

elisabeth hasselbeck and maria
Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Maria Molina

As for whether she cares about what critics have to say about her or her costars? “I’m a person who truly believes in intention, in where something came from, and I really don’t make much of any commentary,” Hasselbeck explained. “I’ve been in the business a long time, and there’s nothing to make of most commentary on commentary.”

In this article

Got a Tip form close button
Got a tip for US?
We're All Ears for Celebrity Buzz!