Elisabeth Hasselbeck Tears Up Over Rosie O'Donnell's 'Setup' Claim
THE DRAMA CONTINUES: ELISABETH HASSELBECK SPEWS TEARS OVER ROSIE O'DONNELL'S LATEST CLAIMS
In a shocking turn of events, former The View co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck has broken down in tears over her former colleague Rosie O'Donnell's bombshell claims that their infamous 2007 on-air argument was a "setup" orchestrated by producers. The drama-filled exchange went down like a nuclear bomb in the world of daytime TV, leaving fans and pundits alike scratching their heads.
According to O'Donnell, the show's then-producer Bill Geddie, who passed away in 2023 at the age of 68, was not one for spontaneity. In an interview with Ricki Lee and Tim Joel on their radio show earlier this week, she claimed that Geddie would have never let such a heated exchange go down without careful planning.
"We were always prepared," O'Donnell said, adding that she thought the whole thing was "a setup." This explosive revelation has left Hasselbeck reeling, who took to her Instagram Stories (which, unfortunately for us, are no longer available) to respond with a mix of emotion and frustration.
Hasselbeck's response, which was captured by Entertainment Weekly, began with a heartfelt apology: "And even maybe if you don't stop [lying], I still forgive you. And it can just be so much more free, Rosie, if you can just stop. Stop the madness, stop the lying and just be free."
She continued to pour her heart out, saying: "I really hope that you can be released from whatever this is that's causing you to cause such harm." It's clear that Hasselbeck is still hurting from O'Donnell's comments.
But why is O'Donnell so invested in pushing this narrative? The answer lies in their tumultuous past. In 2007, the two women clashed on air over the Iraq War, with O'Donnell accusing the US military of committing atrocities. Hasselbeck shot back, saying she didn't think O'Donnell believed the troops were terrorists.
Fast-forward to a recent interview with Ramin Setoodeh for his book Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of The View, and we see that O'Donnell has been carrying a grudge against Hasselbeck. She claimed to have had a "crush" on her co-host (albeit not in a romantic way), but implied that Hasselbeck's athletic background at Boston College hinted at "underlying lesbian undertones."
Hasselbeck was understandably taken aback by O'Donnell's comment, calling it "offensive and disturbing." She went on to say that O'Donnell had unfairly stereotyped female athletes.
The drama continued when O'Donnell took to X (formerly Twitter) to respond: "surely u recall b4 it all went wrong – i never objectified u – i did find u fantastic – broadway shows – my pool -we were friends once ❤️ god love ya kid – i always did." It's clear that these two women have a long history of conflict.
As the drama continues to unfold, The Scholarly Note has reached out to O'Donnell's representatives for comment but has yet to receive a response. We also tried to get in touch with representatives for The View, but they declined to comment on the matter.
The question on everyone's mind is: will this be the end of the feud between these two once- close colleagues? Only time will tell. But one thing is certain – we'll be watching with bated breath as this saga continues to unfold.
UPDATE: We've got an update from The Scholarly Note's news team! O'Donnell's representatives have yet to respond to our requests for comment, but we'll keep you updated on any new developments in this drama-filled story. Stay tuned for more juicy gossip and updates as they become available!