Elisabeth Hasselbeck reflects on ‘ugly’ fight with Rosie O’Donnell on The View: ‘Awful human rift’

"It's why I got hired at Fox, actually. Roger Ailes was like, 'I saw that, you're hired,'" Hasselbeck explained.

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on March 5, 2026 10:31 a.m. ET

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Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Rosie O'Donnell fight on 'The View' in 2007. Credit:

Elisabeth Hasselbeck recently stepped back into *The View* ring to once again fight for conservative values on national TV. But amid her grand return, she admitted that her iconic clash with former friend and *View* cohost Rosie O'Donnell represents a deep battle wound that still hasn't healed.

During an appearance on *The View*'s companion podcast, *Behind the Table (*below), the *Survivor* alum (who was a permanent *View* cohost from 2003-2013) answered a question from producer Brian Teta about the weight of the on-air 2007 clash that remains the most memorable moment in the talk show's history.

"It's wild, that split-screen moment. It determined something. It determined who was coming back," Hasselbeck, 48, said of the incident, which saw her spar with O'Donnell in a tense debate about American military activity in the Middle East. "It was a stressful day. It's not a day that I love. It's a significant day because I can look back at it now with maturity and think my position would be the same."

Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Rosie O'Donnell for 'The View'.

Yolanda Perez/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

On the air, Hasselbeck brought up O'Donnell's long-standing feud with Donald Trump. O'Donnell took additional issue with her feeling that Hasselbeck didn't defend the comedian and actress against accusations of anti-Americanism due to her opposition to military advances in Iraq.

"[I would've] maybe tried to be a little bit more physically calm, but, I don't know," Hasselbeck continued on *Behind the Table*. "I was so passionate about the issue. For me, I think that I'm proud to have spoken on behalf of the military, and I'm proud that this is a program that allowed even that passion to be shared. It's ugly. It's not a fun thing to look at."

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Still, she admitted that something positive came out of the controversy, which resulted in O'Donnell leaving *The View* for the first time (she'd later return for another stint from 2014-2015): "It's why I got hired at Fox, actually. Roger Ailes was like, 'I saw that, you're hired.'"

But, Hasselbeck said, the atmosphere on set back in 2007 was anything but celebratory.

Rosie O'Donnell, Barbara Walters, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck on 'The View' in 2006.

ABC/Courtesy Everett

"I probably cried through the rest of the day," she continued. "I feel like it created this awful human rift, and I'm not sure it's ever worth it for that. I do think we're created for unity. I don't think we're created to have discord, dissension, I think we're meant to have unity and connection. Even if I can't see like you see, I like to see where you see it from. I love to get someone's point of view on something and have love anyway, in that."

Contacted by **, representatives for O’Donnell said they had “no further comment” on the situation

Both O'Donnell and Hasselbeck have addressed the fight in recent months, with O'Donnell reigniting conversations about it when she replied to an inquiry about her dynamic with Hasselbeck in an October 2025 podcast interview. She alleged that the whole thing "was a setup" by late producer Bill Geddie, who worked with the show from 1997 through 2014.

Hasselbeck later reacted to O'Donnell's words in a series of tear-filled Instagram posts, in which she implored for O'Donnell to "stop the madness" and "stop the lying."

She added that she prayed that "God’s fire and glory" will protect O'Donnell from "whatever is holding you back," to which O'Donnell responded, "Nothing's holding me back, Elisabeth. Knock, knock. Who's there? Rosie O'Donnell! I don't hold back, sweetheart."

"Trust me, I'm full of freedom and joy," O'Donnell added. "Honey, this wasn't about you or your character. It was about the truth of what happened, from my perspective. That's it. Hate to tell you, I don't really think about you that much until an interviewer asks me. It's not like I'm walking around going, 'God, do you think Elisabeth will ever forgive me?' I'm not."

Hasselbeck has again made waves on *The View* during her current guest cohosting stint. She compared protective COVID pandemic masks to those worn by ICE agents to shield their identities, admitted that she proudly voted for Trump, and stayed silent on past drama that saw her publicly condemn current cohost Joy Behar and *The View* itself as "sinking" endeavors in a series of January 2025 comments.

Listen to Hasselbeck reflect on fighting with O'Donnell on *The View* in the interview above.

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