Elisabeth Hasselbeck tearfully fires back at Rosie O’Donnell’s ‘The View’ claim

Conservative commentator Elisabeth Hasselbeck fired back Thursday at her former The View cohost Rosie O’Donnell in a series of fiery, emotional Instagram Stories videos responding to the latter’s reignited allegation that their 2007 split-screen fight on the talk show was “a setup” by production.

After O’Donnell recently told the Ricki-Lee, Tim & Joel podcast that the pair’s legendary on-air spat “was prepared” by then-producer Bill Geddie (who died in 2023), Hasselbeck got teary-eyed as she shared an impassioned response to O’Donnell’s claims.

Hasselbeck, an alum of Survivor who cohosted The View from 2003-2013, began her response by praising current cohost Whoopi Goldberg for supporting her through their differing social and political views.

“We love each other. I just texted her last week and thanked her for being a friend who doesn’t want me to think how she thinks, and I don’t require her to think how I think,” Hasselbeck said, later adding, “This requires two sane people who have good hearts, who have different opinions agreeing that we are God’s people and we’re just going to love each other through our opinions and let them be different without punishing the other person. This is possible. It’s not possible with someone like Rosie O’Donnell, who time and time again wants to spread lies and hate.”

She claimed that she’s repeatedly “tried to call” O’Donnell to discuss their ongoing feud, especially in the aftermath of the 2007 fight that led to the comedian’s initial exit from the talk show. She later returned in 2014, before again departing the year after.

Hasselbeck pleaded to “close the yearbook” on the 2007 fight, but reiterated the foundation for the argument to her followers. The moment occurred in May of that year, after O’Donnell drew public ire for, as Hasselbeck summarized it, implying that American troops were terrorists as a result of Iraqi deaths in the Iraq War.

“I went on Fox News and they asked me about it, and I did not defend her comments there,” Hasselbeck continued, adding that she disagreed with the A League of Their Own star’s sentiment.

“Went back to The View the next day and there was like a bomb going off in the room next to me with music against my walls,” Hasselbeck said, adding that she was “very pregnant” at the time. “She made my entire morning miserable, fit-throwing, and then we got to the set and she went off.”

In a later post, Hasselbeck elaborated on the moment, saying that O’Donnell “lost it and threw me into early contractions, but ABC made me call and apologize” to her colleague. (Entertainment Weekly has reached out to a representative for The View at ABC for comment.)

Hasselbeck lamented that the split screen “keeps coming up” on O’Donnell’s end, and said it feels like her former colleague presents it “in a way that’s personally attacking me and the integrity of our work there and my personal character.”

“I love my friends who disagree with me. I tried to call you many times and reach out to you after that, Rosie, and you don’t want repair,” the 48-year-old alleged. “I have to go here because you won’t respond. If you want to get together and talk, let’s do it, come over and swim in my pool, come take a couple laps, come back to America and enjoy your nation. We can have an open free dialogues about what we disagree on. I’ll make you dinner, what do you want to stop the bullying?”

She brought Goldberg up once again, and also expressed admiration for View stars Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd, and Meredith Vieira, before making another claim about O’Donnell.

“We love each other in a healthy way, and there is a manipulation that I felt was very real with Rosie, and she can create whatever reality she wants. We all see it, we all know it. Honestly, I love you, Rosie,” stated Hasselbeck. “God has good plans for you, he sees you, he made you, and I really hope that you can be released from whatever this is that’s causing you to cause such harm and just be free to be creative and loved and awesome because that’s who he made you to be.”

She ended the first portion of posts by begging for O’Donnell to “please stop” because “we’re all just trying our best,” while tearing up during her speech.

“Stop lying, stop, stop, and in the meantime and even maybe if you don’t stop, 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. I just pray God’s fire and glory around you so you can be protected from whatever is holding you back,” Hasselbeck said. “In Jesus’ name I pray the lies held over you are released and that you can feel freedom and real joy without feeling satisfaction from trying to lie about somebody and destroy their character.”

She summarized her time on The View by saying that the panel’s discussions were “supposed to be civil,” and criticized O’Donnell for “tearing someone apart who had an opposing view” that differed from hers.

“Come on, this is not how women should be,” she finished. “This is not what should be happening.”

When reached via email, a representative for O’Donnell tells EW that there is “no comment at this time” in response to Hasselbeck’s Instagram Stories.

EW has additionally repeatedly reached out to Hasselbeck and her team for comment.

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Though Hasselbeck praised Behar in her videos about O’Donnell, she made headlines in January for calling the comedian out over her thoughts about Carrie Underwood performing at Donald Trump’s inauguration.

“Joy — @carrieunderwood is an INCREDIBLE WOMAN. You could learn from her strength,” Hasselbeck wrote on X.

Hasselbeck has made subsequent appearances on The View since her departure from the permanent panel, including as a guest cohost in 2022, and again as a guest for Barbara Walters’ tribute episode in January 2023 after the co-creator died the previous month.

O’Donnell spoke out against Hasselbeck’s 2022 spot on the show, saying that it reminded her of “why I don’t wanna watch it with her anymore.”