Rosie O'Donnell is once again leaving The View — this time because of trouble at home. The star and her wife, Michelle Rounds, have split after a little more than two years of marriage, Us Weekly can confirm. The two quietly parted ways last fall, not long after O'Donnell made her highly anticipated return to ABC.
"I can confirm that Rosie and her wife Michelle split in November," the comedienne's rep, Cindi Berger, said in a statement to Us Weekly on Friday, Feb. 6. (Page Six was first to report the news.)
Berger noted that O'Donnell, 52, wanted to devote more time to her family in the wake of the end of her marriage. "Rosie has teens and an infant at home that need her attention," the statement continued, acknowledging the View co-host's five kids. (O'Donnell shares one daughter with Rounds, whom she married in 2012; she also has three kids from her previous marriage to Kelli Carpenter, and a son, Parker, whom she adopted in 1995.)
"This has been a very stressful situation," Berger said in her statement. "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."
O'Donnell rejoined The View in September 2014, seven years after she made a dramatic, abrupt exit in 2007. Along with Rosie Perez and Nicolle Wallace, she replaced former co-hosts Barbara Walters, Sherri Shepherd, and Jenny McCarthy, who departed after season 17, leaving Whoopi Goldberg as the only returning host.
ABC, for its part, acknowledged O'Donnell's decision to leave in a statement that also praised her work ethic. "Rosie is an immensely talented star who comes in each and every morning brimming with ideas, excitement, and passion for the show," the network said. "When she told us that 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."
