Rosie O'Donnell Reveals If She Would Guest Host on 'The View' as She Shades Elisabeth Hasselbeck: 'It's Interesting'

Rosie O'Donnell isn't ruling out a return to The View.

During the Thursday, June 18, episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, the comedian was asked whether she would be interested in guest hosting the daytime talk show, similar to Elisabeth Hasselbeck's recent appearance.

O'Donnell admitted she'd be open to the opportunity if the invitation ever comes.

“I did catch her on it, and would I be? I would be up to guest host, but they haven't asked me. So, we'll see what happens, but you know, listen, it's interesting,” she answered.

While discussing the possibility of returning, O'Donnell couldn't resist making a pointed remark about her former co-host. She suggested that Hasselbeck's political views make her a natural fit for today's television landscape.

She added, “In the time of [Donald] Trump, I think she's the perfect person they want on TV, spouting their rhetoric.”

Andy Cohen also brought up one of the most infamous moments in The View history — O'Donnell's explosive on-air clash with Hasselbeck in 2007.

Specifically, he asked whether she was still upset about the show's decision to use a split-screen during the heated exchange.

She replied, “Yeah, I’m still annoyed. Believe me, a mummy knows how to hold a grudge.”

The latest interview comes just months after O'Donnell revisited the drama that ultimately ended her run on the ABC talk show.

During an appearance on Australia's “Ricki-Lee, Tim & Joel” radio program, she claimed the infamous confrontation wasn't as spontaneous as viewers believed.

According to O'Donnell, she thinks production had planned the moment in advance.

"Our producer [was] not an on-the-fly kind of guy," O'Donnell said. "He wasn't like, Mr. Let's-Go-To-a-Split-Screen.' That was prepared. The whole thing, I think, was a setup."

Hasselbeck strongly disagreed with O'Donnell's version of events.

After O'Donnell's comments made headlines, the former television personality responded emotionally in a series of Instagram Stories. O'Donnell later dissected Hasselbeck's response in an Instagram video, making it clear that their relationship remains strained.

"Apparently, it upset Elisabeth because she was on Fox News — what a surprise — with her reply," the comedian said on October 10, 2025.

In one moment, Hasselbeck asked O'Donnell to "stop lying," but said she "still" forgives the comic even if she doesn't.

"You forgive me?" O'Donnell said sarcastically. "What a relief."

She also emphasized that Hasselbeck rarely crosses her mind unless someone specifically asks about her.

"Hate to tell you, I don't really think about you that much until an interviewer asks me," said O'Donnell. "It's not like I'm walking around going, 'God, do you think Elisabeth will ever forgive me?' I'm not. So don't worry about me or my freedom or joy, and just enjoy our life, and I'm gonna do the same."

The confrontation between O'Donnell and Hasselbeck remains one of the most talked-about moments in The View's 28-year history.

Although the pair initially formed an unlikely friendship after O'Donnell joined the show in 2006, political disagreements eventually drove a wedge between them.

Tensions reached a breaking point when O'Donnell criticized then-President George W. Bush and felt Hasselbeck failed to defend her against accusations that she didn't support American troops.

“Every day since September I have told you that I support the troops,” O’Donnell famously said on air. “I asked you if you believed what the Republican pundits were saying. You said nothing, and that’s cowardly.”

The fallout from that conversation had lasting consequences.

Just two days after the May 23, 2007, episode aired, O'Donnell requested to be released from her contract despite having spent only eight months on the panel.

ABC ultimately agreed, bringing her first run on The View to an abrupt end.