Rosie O’Donnell has only been on “The View” for 6.5 months, but you’d think it was a lifetime… if you were Barbara Walters.
To say the controversial co-host (who just announced she intends to leave the chatfest in June) has been a lightning rod for controversy is an understatement. Her verbal antics have been fodder for many of the blogs in the Pop Culture category here at families.com. And, while some of you may be sick of reading about Rosie, Rosie, Rosie, and the many, many moments she firmly planted her foot in her mouth I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment on this rather momentous day to take a look back at the incidents that have helped to boost the ratings for the 10-year-old daytime talk show… and land the co-host on the front page of national newspapers.
November 2006—O’Donnell rips into fellow talk-show host Kelly Ripa for making a remark about “American Idol” star Clay Aiken that O’Donnell deemed “homophobic.” Ripa calls into “The View” to defend her comment and admonishes O’Donnell by telling her: “You should be more responsible.”
December 2006—This is when it all went down with “The Donald.” The feud that continues today between O’Donnell and Donald Trump began when the talk show host called the real-estate mogul a “snake-oil salesman” following his announcement that he would not fire Miss USA Tara Conner (for her alleged substance abuse). He of course, didn’t take the diss well… and the feud continues to this day.
A few weeks later O’Donnell is on the hot seat again when she makes a joke about Danny DeVito in an accent that mocks the Chinese language. It made headlines and outraged the Asian-American community. It was also the only time O’Donnell would offer an on-air apology for her “attempt at humor.”
March 2007—“The Great Crying Episode.” Last month, during a heated discussion with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck about the government’s access to citizens’ telephone conversations, O’Donnell cut into the youngest member of the panel with this remark: “Elisabeth, you are very young, and you are very wrong.” Insiders say the former “Survivor” contestant was reduced to tears and had begun to look for a new job. In the end, the two reportedly kissed and made up after O’Donnell issued an apology on her website.
April 2007—Just a few weeks ago things get even hotter for O’Donnell when former House Majority Leader Tom Delay calls for her to be removed from “The View.” Delay used space on his website to write: “If the left takes Imus, we’ll take Rosie.” O’Donnell fires back on her site, calling Delay a “criminal.”
And, just days ago, O’Donnell makes headlines again for making vulgar and what some called “inappropriate remarks” as emcee of the Matrix Awards luncheon for women in media. O’Donnell reportedly took jabs at Trump (surprise, surprise) and media tycoon Rupert Murdoch. Witnesses say Walters buried her face in her hands during the event.
Keep in mind, O’Donnell will remain on as co-host until June, so expect this timeline to grow in the days to come.