Rosie O’Donnell
announced that she will return to ABC’s The View for the program’s 30th anniversary season, marking another appearance on the daytime talk show years after leaving as a co-host.
O’Donnell shared the news during a recent interview while also reflecting on the strained relationship she previously had with longtime moderator Whoopi Goldberg.
O’Donnell made the comments during an appearance on The Tangle podcast with host Kyle Ridley.
During the interview, Ridley asked whether The View had invited her back as a guest.
The former co-host confirmed that producers had extended invitations in the past but said she had been reluctant to return because of her previous experience alongside Goldberg.
“They’ve asked me before, but you know, when I was there last, I had sort of a tense time with Whoopi,” O’Donnell said.
She explained that when she joined the panel, she envisioned a collaborative working relationship with Goldberg and believed the two would complement one another on the show.
“I admire her EGOT status, I have respect for her, and I expected that we would be like, you know, Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan passing the ball back and forth and then shooting, and, you know, leading the team to victory,” O’Donnell said.
“But that’s not exactly what happened.”
According to O’Donnell, she believes Goldberg may have viewed her arrival differently than she did.
“And I think maybe she felt encroached upon in some way, and I was not trying to encroach,” O’Donnell said.
“I was just doing it the way that I knew how to do it, and it didn’t go so well.”
Although O’Donnell acknowledged the tension that existed between the two during her previous stint on the program, she said the relationship has improved since then.
Even so, she explained that she had been hesitant to return because she did not want to create an uncomfortable situation.
Despite those reservations, O’Donnell said she plans to appear during The View’s upcoming 30th anniversary celebration, bringing her back to the program where she served as a co-host during two separate tenures.
The announcement comes as ABC prepares to celebrate three decades of the daytime talk show, which has featured numerous hosts and panelists since its debut.
O’Donnell remains one of the program’s best-known former co-hosts, having generated headlines during both of her runs on the show through frequent political commentary and on-air debates.
Her comments also offered additional insight into one of the more discussed relationships among former The View personalities.
While speculation has surrounded her interactions with Goldberg for years, O’Donnell said she respected Goldberg throughout their time together even though the partnership did not unfold as she had anticipated.
The interview did not indicate that O’Donnell would be returning as a permanent co-host.
Instead, her planned appearance is tied specifically to the show’s anniversary season, which is expected to include visits from former hosts as ABC commemorates the program’s history.
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News of O’Donnell’s planned return quickly generated reactions online following the podcast interview, with many commentators weighing in on the announcement and revisiting her previous time on the panel.
Her remarks about Goldberg also renewed discussion about the dynamics between former co-hosts during one of the show’s most closely watched periods.
For now, O’Donnell said she is prepared to return for the anniversary celebration after previously declining invitations, while making clear that her earlier hesitation stemmed from the working relationship she experienced with Goldberg during her last appearance on the program.
Her participation in the 30th anniversary season will mark another chapter in her long history with The View, one that she acknowledged included both professional success and on-air tension.
