Rosie O’Donnell, the 64-year-old comedian and former host of "The View," has indicated she would be open to returning to the program as a guest to celebrate its 30th anniversary season next year. O'Donnell made the comments during the Monday, Aug. 3, episode of the "Tangle With Kyle Ridley" podcast, noting that she believes the production intends to bring back former hosts for the milestone. "I will go on the 30th anniversary next year and be on in whatever way they want me, just as a guest. They're bringing back all the hosts, I think, for the 30th season," she said. She expressed pride in the show's evolution, noting how it has become a platform that speaks to people and political issues in a way that was not the case when she first joined the panel in 2006.
O'Donnell’s tenure on the ABC show was marked by significant upheaval. She originally joined in 2006 to replace moderator Meredith Vieira but departed the following year after a high-profile on-air confrontation with cohost Elisabeth Hasselbeck and a reported failure to reach a contract renewal with the network. Whoopi Goldberg was subsequently brought on to replace O'Donnell as the moderator. The two shared the screen years later, when O'Donnell returned to "The View" in 2014, but she exited again five months later, citing heart issues. The current lineup of the program features Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and Ana Navarro.
Regarding her relationship with Goldberg, O'Donnell told the podcast that she has maintained a friendly dynamic since their earlier "disastrous tag-team hellacious 'View' extravaganza." She reflected on their past friction, stating, "I admire [Whoopi], wanted to be on her team. I admire her EGOT status. I have respect for her. And I expected we would be like Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan passing the ball back and forth and then shooting and leading the team to victory. But that's not exactly what happened." O'Donnell suggested that perhaps Goldberg felt "encroached upon" during their time working together. She emphasized, however, that they have since moved past those conflicts.
This is not the first time O'Donnell has discussed these tensions. In a 2019 interview for the book "Ladies Who Punch," an exposé on the daytime telecast by Ramin Setoodeh, she described working with Goldberg as the "worst experience I've ever had on live television." O'Donnell later criticized Setoodeh for his portrayal of the show, calling her 20-minute interview with the Variety editor-in-chief her "biggest regret."
Currently residing in Ireland, where she moved during President Donald Trump's second term due to what she described as an "overwhelmingly depressing, unconstitutional, illegal [and] criminal" political climate, O'Donnell recently clarified her career intentions. In a July 27 Instagram post denying speculation that she was eyeing a late-night hosting gig after a guest role on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," O'Donnell wrote that she plans to remain in Ireland as her child starts eighth grade. "I’m not interested in doing late night – daytime however would be interesting," she added.
