She never promised them a Rosie garden: O'Donnell leaving The View
04/25/07 10:39 AM
By ED BARK
Donald Trump hasn't declared a national holiday yet, but give him a few minutes. Rosie O'Donnell is leaving The View after contract negotiations with ABC supposedly fell through.
"My needs for the future just didn't dovetail with what ABC was able to offer me," she said in a statement Wednesday. Her exit is slated for mid-June. She replaced current Today co-host Meredith Vieira on Sept. 5, 2006.
ABC daytime programming president Brian Fons told ABCNews.com: "Going in we knew we would have an amazing year with her, and that anything beyond that would be gravy. But we were willing to take the chance because we understood what a coup it was to entice Ro back to daytime television."
Once dubbed the "Queen of Nice" by Newsweek, O'Donnell has added spice to The View, helped drive the ratings up and periodically been the bane of Trump, Kelly Ripa, Catholics, Asian-Americans, the Bush administration and a wealth of conservative commentators. In Trump's case, she called him a "snake oil salesman" and he called her a "fat slob."
"This has been an amazing experience," O'Donnell said in her statement, "and one I wouldn't have traded for the world."
Barbara Walters, The View's grande dame, praised O'Donnell for giving the program "new vigor, new excitement and wonderful hours of television. I can only be grateful to her for this year."
The search is now on for a no doubt less contentious replacement.