Former Liberal Returning for ‘The View’ 30th Anniversary Special

Rosie O’Donnell is heading back to the daytime program that helped make her one of television’s most polarizing political personalities.

The former co-host confirmed that she will participate in “The View’s” upcoming 30th-anniversary celebration, marking her first appearance on the ABC talk show since her second departure more than a decade ago.

During an appearance on “The Tangle” podcast, O’Donnell said she would accept whatever role producers offered for the milestone event.

“I will go on the 30th anniversary next year and be on in whatever way they want me, just as a guest,” O’Donnell said.

She suggested that the program intends to reunite numerous former panelists throughout its anniversary season.

“They’re bringing back all the hosts, I think, for the 30th season,” O’Donnell said. “And I’m pretty proud of that show, what it’s become and how it really speaks to the people and to politics, and that was not the case when I first joined.”

O’Donnell originally joined “The View” in 2006, replacing longtime moderator Meredith Vieira. Her combative delivery and aggressive political commentary quickly made her one of the show’s most controversial figures.

She frequently sparred with conservative co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, whose views stood in sharp contrast to O’Donnell’s left-wing politics.

Their conflict exploded during an intense 2007 exchange over the Iraq War. O’Donnell subsequently left the program several weeks before her contract was scheduled to end, saying she no longer wanted to participate in confrontations she believed the media portrayed unfairly.

She returned in 2014, but her second tenure also ended after only one season.

That period generated reports of backstage friction between O’Donnell and longtime moderator Whoopi Goldberg. O’Donnell acknowledged the strained dynamic during her recent podcast appearance while emphasizing that she continues to respect Goldberg.

“I had a sort of a tense time with Whoopi,” O’Donnell said, while also describing Goldberg as “somebody I admire.”

O’Donnell said she initially expected the pair to develop into a strong collaborative team.

“I expected that we would be like Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan, passing the ball back and forth and then shooting and leading the team to victory,” she said. “But that’s not exactly what happened.”

She suggested that Goldberg may have believed O’Donnell was “encroaching” on her position, although O’Donnell insisted that was never her objective.

O’Donnell also recalled an incident in which she sent the broadcast to a commercial break while Goldberg was still talking, a moment she believes contributed to the tension between them.

Her return comes after another politically charged chapter in her public life. O’Donnell relocated to Ireland following President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, saying his second-term victory influenced her decision to leave the United States.

Before reappearing on “The View,” she is expected to return to American television later this month as a guest host on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” during Kimmel’s summer absence, according to The Daily Mail.

The anniversary celebration may feature several familiar faces, but O’Donnell’s appearance is likely to generate exceptional attention. Her history with the program includes ideological battles, reported backstage disputes, two short-lived tenures, and years of public speculation about her relationships with fellow hosts.

Her return also demonstrates how thoroughly “The View” has evolved from a daytime discussion program into a reliable platform for progressive political commentary—an evolution O’Donnell clearly considers worth celebrating.