'The View' Shocker: Rosie O'Donnell Is Leaving
Rosie O’Donnell is leaving The View to concentrate on her family’s “well-being.”
O’Donnell, who split with her wife of three years Michelle Rounds late last year, returned as co-host of the ABC daytime talk show in September 2014 following a dramatic exit seven years earlier. Next week marks her last on The View.
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“I can confirm that Rosie and her wife Michelle split in November. Rosie has teens and an infant at home that need her attention,” O’Donnell’s rep Cindi Berger said in a statement to ET on Friday. “This has been a very stressful situation. She is putting her personal health and family first. ABC has been wonderfully understanding and supportive of her personal decision to leave The View. Next week will be her last."
ABC also confirmed the news of O’Donnell’s sudden departure, which comes just five months after The View relaunched the program with a new panel that included newcomers Rosie Perez and Nicolle Wallace.
The network said that the 52-year-old’s decision to leave was a personal one, and left the door open for future guest appearances by O’Donnell.
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"Rosie is an immensely talented star who comes in each and every morning brimming with ideas, excitement and passion for the show,” ABC said in a statement to ET. “When she told us that she wanted to exit The View, we respected and understood her desire to put her well-being and her family first. We’re delighted she’s still part of the ABC family with upcoming guest appearances on [ABC Family's] The Fosters. And we know she’ll return to The View often with her unique point of view and updates on her work and her family."
O’Donnell’s exit is just the latest development to come out of The View this season. Earlier this year the daytime talk show dealt with rumor and speculation that Perez had been fired from The View. Perez returned to the program on Tuesday.
It is unclear what ABC’s plans are in regards to filling O’Donnell’s seat.
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