Rosie O’Donnell and Barbara Walters John Salangsang/Shutterstock; Gregory Tempo/BEI/Shutterstock
Rosie O’Donnell didn’t participate in The View‘s tribute to the late Barbara Walters on Tuesday, January 3, however she was invited to seem.
An ABC rep and a spokesperson for the League of Our Personal actress each confirmed that O’Donnell, 60, was invited to participate within the particular episode, TVLine reviews. Nonetheless, the previous cohost had prior commitments. “She is on a aircraft and couldn’t change her schedule,” her consultant defined.
Walters, who created The View and was on the roundtable till 2014, died on Friday, December 30. She was 93.
“Barbara Walters handed away peacefully in her residence surrounded by family members,” Cindi Berger, the TV presenter’s publicist, informed Us Weekly in an announcement on the time. “She lived her life with no regrets. She was a trailblazer not just for feminine journalists however for all girls.”
Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, Debbie Matenopoulos, Lisa Ling, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd joined present hosts Pleasure Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin and Sunni Hostin to replicate on the legendary journalist’s legacy.
“She began The View when she was 68 years outdated — only a few individuals begin a brand new profession at that age,” Behar, 80, stated of Walters on the high of Tuesday’s episode. “And in addition, she had no mentors or position fashions as a result of she was the unique position mannequin for everyone else.”
O’Donnell, for her half, shared a video reacting to Walters’ dying on Friday.
“Very unhappy to listen to about Barbara Walters’ passing. Though 93, man, who wouldn’t take that? What an extended and eventful, legendary life she had,” the previous Rosie O’Donnell Present host stated by way of Instagram on the time. “Spoke to each outstanding world chief in reminiscence, interviewed everybody who’s anybody, and I used to be fortunate sufficient to be in her orbit for a few years.”
She continued, recalling reminiscences of going to the theater along with her former colleague. “We noticed a variety of Broadway reveals collectively, and at any time when we’d go backstage, I’d attempt to assist her over the steps backstage — and he or she would at all times smack my hand and inform me to depart her alone. She [knew] what she was doing I may inform you that.”
The New York native concluded: “Could she relaxation in peace, and should everybody bear in mind simply what limitations she broke down for ladies. She was the primary and can at all times be remembered.”
O’Donnell was on The View in the course of the 2006-2007 season, changing Vieira, 69. She requested to be launched from her contract early, leaving the present after simply eight months.
