- Elisabeth Hasselbeck recently fired back after Rosie O’Donnell claimed that their notorious 2007 on-air fight was set up byThe View‘s production team.
- O’Donnell responded sarcastically on TikTok, saying it was a ‘relief’ that Hasselbeck chose to forgive her.
- “Don’t worry about me or my freedom or joy, and just enjoy your life,” O’Donnell said.
Rosie O’Donnell would like Elisabeth Hasselbeck to remember that “nothing” holds her back from anything.
On Friday — which was Saturday morning for the Australia-based comedian — O’Donnell responded to her former The View cohost’s emotional Instagram Stories videos addressing her reignited allegation that their infamous 2007 split-screen fight on the talk show was a “setup.”
The comedian said she caught Hasselbeck’s response on Fox News, adding, “What a surprise,” and then began reading the condensed transcripts of the conservative commentator’s videos.
“You forgive me? What a relief,” O’Donnell said wryly, reacting to Hasselbeck’s declaration that she will forgive her former costar if she’ll “stop lying” after she claimed on 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).
Lou Rocco/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
In her videos, Hasselback said she prays “God’s fire and glory” will protect O’Donnell from “whatever is holding you back,” to which the actress quipped, “Nothing’s holding me back, Elizabeth. Knock, knock. Who’s there? Rosie O’Donnell! I don’t hold back, sweetheart.”
“Trust me, I’m full of freedom and joy,” O’Donnell continued. “Honey, this wasn’t about you or your character. It was about the truth of what happened, from my perspective. That’s it. Hate to tell you, I don’t really think about you that much until an interviewer asks me. It’s not like I’m walking around going, ‘God, do you think Elizabeth will ever forgive me?’ I’m not.”
O’Donnell advised Hasselbeck no to worry about “me or my freedom or joy, and just enjoy your life, and I’m gonna do the same,” adding, “And, you know, it’s okay, Elizabeth. In God’s name, Amen.”
In their legendary May 2007 feud, O’Donnell and Hasselbeck sparred during a tense debate about American military activity in the Middle East. The women fought about American troops in Iraq, with Hasselbeck eventually bringing up O’Donnell’s long-standing feud with Donald Trump.
The heated on-air clash prompted the show’s team to switch its live shot to a then-unprecedented split screen, which produced one of The View‘s most memorable moments and ultimately resulted in O’Donnell’s exit shortly after.
In her Instagram response, Hasselbeck lamented that the split screen “keeps coming up” 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.”
Jason Davis/Getty; Stefanie Keenan/Getty
O’Donnell told the hosts of Ricki-Lee, Tim & Joel that she took further issue with Hasselbeck not defending her against criticism that O’Donnell was un-American for her opposition to military advances.
“It felt, to me, like I was on a basketball team of five women, and one of them kept tripping me on the way to the hoop,” O’Donnell said, referencing the show’s behind-the-scenes maneuver.
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O’Donnell left The View after her argument with Hasselbeck but returned as a panelist from 2014-2015. Hasselbeck remained at the table until 2013 and then returned as a guest cohost in 2022 — an appearance O’Donnell spoke out against at the time, saying it made her remember “why I don’t wanna watch it with her anymore.”
