Rosie's Conditional 'View' Return
Rosie O'Donnell Eyes 'The View' Return, Revisits Old Feuds, Discusses Ireland Relocation
Key Points
On *Watch What Happens Live*, Andy Cohen asked directly whether O’Donnell was still annoyed about the split-screen decision, and she answered, “Yeah, I’m still annoyed. Believe me, a mummy knows how to hold a grudge.”
O’Donnell’s earlier reluctance to return to *The View*—while Whoopi Goldberg was on the panel—included a sharper critique in a 2020 interview: “Whoopi really didn’t like me,” she said (via Howard Stern, as reported by Entertainment Weekly).
The interview also notes O’Donnell’s relocation: she “currently lives in Ireland,” having moved there in January 2025 with her 13-year-old child, Clay, after the 2024 presidential election.
Article coverage ties the *View* dispute to O’Donnell’s broader conflict with Trump: it says that in July 2025 he threatened to rescind her citizenship, and that she responded on Instagram, writing, “The president of the usa has always hated the fact that i see him for who he is – a criminal con man sexual abusing liar out to harm our nation to serve himself – this is why i moved to ireland.”
Rosie O'Donnell says she is open to returning to The View as a guest host — but only if someone asks. "They haven't asked," she told host Andy Cohen on the June 18 episode of Watch What Happens Live, according to The Wrap. The appearance also revived a nearly two-decade-old grudge: O'Donnell said she is still angry about a split-screen camera move producers used during a 2007 on-air fight with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
The comments mark a shift. As recently as 2020, O'Donnell said she would not go back while Whoopi Goldberg was on the panel. Now, living in Ireland since January 2025, she is signaling a possible return — on her own terms.
A 2007 Fight O'Donnell Says Was Staged
The feud dates to May 23, 2007. O'Donnell and Hasselbeck clashed on air for about 10 minutes over the Iraq War. O'Donnell accused Hasselbeck of failing to defend her against pundits who called her "un-American." Producers cut to a split-screen, showing both women's faces at once for the full argument. O'Donnell quit the show shortly after, Yahoo News reported.
Now O'Donnell claims the split-screen was not a surprise. She says a director would not go to that shot "on the fly" without being told in advance. She blames executive producer Bill Geddie for orchestrating it. When Cohen asked if she was still annoyed, she did not hesitate. "Yeah, I'm still annoyed," she said. "Believe me, a mummy knows how to hold a grudge." Hasselbeck fired back on Instagram in October 2025, asking O'Donnell to "stop the manipulation."
O'Donnell Backs Hasselbeck's Return — With a Sting
When Cohen asked about Hasselbeck possibly coming back to The View, O'Donnell endorsed it — but not warmly. She said Hasselbeck is exactly the kind of voice TV wants right now, someone to "spout their rhetoric" in the Trump era. Hasselbeck guest-hosted the show in March 2026, according to Wonderwall.
Media analysts see O'Donnell's framing as deliberate. By casting Hasselbeck as a pro-Trump placeholder, O'Donnell positions herself as the progressive counterweight the show would need. The View is approaching its Season 30 milestone, and producers are said to be seeking high-profile legacy guest hosts to mark the occasion.
Trump Threatened Her Citizenship. She Moved to Ireland.
O'Donnell relocated to Ireland on January 15, 2025 — four days before Trump's second inauguration. She brought her 13-year-old child, Clay, and cited the U.S. political climate and her child's safety as the reasons. She used her Irish grandparents' ancestry to secure residency, Hungama Express noted.
In July 2025, Trump posted on Truth Social threatening to "revoke the citizenship" of O'Donnell, calling her a "threat to humanity." Legal experts quickly noted that stripping a natural-born citizen of citizenship violates the 14th Amendment. O'Donnell responded on Instagram: "The president of the usa has always hated the fact that i see him for who he is – a criminal con man sexual abusing liar out to harm our nation to serve himself – this is why i moved to ireland."
O'Donnell Plans Her First U.S. Return This Summer
Despite living abroad, O'Donnell is not done with American audiences. She is set to perform a one-woman show called Common Knowledge in New York City in July 2026. It will be her first major professional return to the U.S. since leaving the country 18 months ago.
Her WWHL appearance — which drew 9,400 views on YouTube within 18 hours — is being read by some observers as a "trial balloon" for a broader media comeback. Whether The View calls her or not, O'Donnell has made clear she is watching, waiting, and still counting old scores.
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