As Rosie O’Donnell once said, her job is “mostly to entertain and be funny” – but now, she’s focusing on kindness, too.
In a new interview, the 61-year-old reflected on her time in the daytime talk show industry, giving some insight into what really happened behind the scenes.
“We had a really wonderful working environment,” O’Donnell claimed of her own production, the “Rosie O’Donnell Show,” which ran from 1996 to 2002, while speaking to Entertainment Tonight.
She continued, “But, you know, we were the first of that kind of show… [and] because we were the first one, and we had done it, and we had gotten so much acclaim in such a short time, you know everybody was happy.”
The comedian also revealed that she cared about her staff who worked on her talk show, giving them off in the summers and even making sure that there was a nursery on staff for their children.
While speaking to the outlet, she touched on the fact that sometimes, when there is animosity in the workplace, it’s what goes on off the set that can be an “influence” or even “exacerbate” the situation.
Rosie O’Donnell is sharing more about the behind-the-scenes of daytime television. Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
The star hosted her own talk show, “The Rosie O’Donnell Show,” from 1996 to 2002. Getty Images
She also appeared on “The View” during the 2006-2007 season. Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images“I also think it depends on what else you have going on in your life,” O’Donnell admitted. “[What] you have to focus on and to ground you. It’s hard to stay grounded in the Showbiz world.”
She stressed that it’s important to treat everyone who works with you with kindness.
O’Donnell, who was a moderator on the popular daytime show “The View” for the 2006-2007 season, is no stranger to speaking out about a potentially hostile workplace.
Last month, she appeared on Brooke Shields’ podcast, “Now What? With Brooke Shields,” where she revealed that it was something that she would “ever do again.”
“I know this — it’s not the best use of my talent to get in a show where I have to argue and defend basic principles of humanity and kindness,” the “Sleepless in Seattle” star admitted during the appearance.
“It was not something I’d ever do again,” she added.
While she appeared on “The View,” O’Donnell got into an infamous on-air spat with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Getty Images
She briefly returned to “The View” in 2014. NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesDuring the podcast, she also divulged some more details about her infamous on-air fight with fellow co-star and conservative commentator Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who appeared on “The View” from 2003-2013.
At the time, the two got into a 10-minute shouting match during the May 23, 2007 episode, which started out as a conversation about their differing political views on the Iraq war.
It quickly turned volatile and ugly, as they appeared to hurl insults at each other regarding their personal lives and friendship.
“I also think it depends on what else you have going on in your life,” O’Donnell admitted to Entertainment Tonight.“[What] you have to focus on and to ground you. It’s hard to stay grounded in the Showbiz world.”GC Images
O’Donnell said that she would “never return” to “The View.” Getty ImagesBut during the recent podcast appearance, O’Donnell explained more about what happened that day and how she felt at the time.
“One day on the show, she kind of threw me under the bus and I was like, ‘Are you f–king kidding me?’ I finished the show, got my coat, walked out, and said, ‘I’m not going back’ — and I didn’t until a few years later when they asked me to come back,” O’Donnell explained.
In 2014, O’Donnell returned to “The View” as a guest co-host, but only lasted for six months, exiting in 2015.
The current hosts of “The View” include Joy Behar, Ana Navarro, Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines and Alyssa Farah Griffin.
