Nov 28, 2008 9:33 pm US/Eastern
Walters Says 'View' Crew Happy, But...
NEW YORK (AP) ―
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On Nov. 20, Walters never mentioned Rosie O'Donnell by name, but it was clear who she was referring to when she opened "The View" with a complaint about former colleagues who criticize the show after they leave. (File)
AP
So you think the ladies of "The View" don't get along?
Things have never been more cordial, says Barbara Walters, whose weekday ABC talk show pits her with Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd debating "hot topics."
"I don't know of any five women who get along as well as we do," says Walters. "We see each other off-camera. Whoopi is having a big Christmas party for everybody. Last week, Whoopi, Joy and I had dinner together" (only illness kept Hasselbeck and Shepherd away).
The conservative Hasselbeck and liberal Behar "love sparring," with never any hard feelings, says Walters, who points to the show's recent robust ratings.
"We're happy," she says, "and the show's success reflects that."
On Nov. 20, Walters never mentioned Rosie O'Donnell by name, but it was clear who she was referring to when she opened "The View" with a complaint about former colleagues who criticize the show after they leave.
Walters then said some people who have done the show have felt the need "to dump on it, maybe for their own publicity." She says "that not only hurts me, but I resent it."
Her comments came one day after O'Donnell told reporters while promoting her upcoming variety special that Walters wanted everyone on "The View" to make believe they were getting along when that wasn't the case. Since leaving the show, O'Donnell says she's experienced something almost like "post-traumatic stress disorder."
O'Donnell also took credit for making the show more political, saying before she arrived, "they wanted to talk about lipstick shades."
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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