Rosie O’Donnell Says Her ‘Biggest Regret’ Is the Interview She Gave For the Explosive Tell-All Book About ‘The View’

If Rosie O’Donnell could go back in time and undo her interview with author Ramin Setoodeh for Ladies Who Punch, she wouldn’t go through with it. While speaking to reporters at the opening of Broadway’s Oklahoma! in New York City on Sunday, April 7, the TV personality wasn’t afraid to put her feelings out there regarding the explosive tell-all book about The View.

“My biggest regret was ever sitting down with him for 20 minutes, and that’s exactly what I did to appease my publicist,” the 57-year-old — who hosted the hit talk show from 2006 to 2007 and 2014 to 2015 — candidly told Us Weekly at the event. “But it’s my biggest regret.”

Last month, fans and foes of The View got a sneak peek inside the book — which is now on shelves — after Variety shared excerpts from Ladies Who Punch. Rosie began making headlines after several of her comments, including an old crush on Elisabeth Hasselbeck, came to light.

“I think there were underlying lesbian undertones on both parts,” Rosie — who is openly gay — said in the book of her former cohost. “I think this is something that will hurt her if you write it. She was the MVP of a Division 1 softball team for two years that won the finals. There are not many, in my life, girls with such athletic talent on sports teams that are traditionally male that aren’t at least a little bit gay.”

It didn’t take long to strum up a reaction from the Survivor alum, who “read it and I immediately started praying,” Elisabeth, 41, said during a March 26 episode of Fox & Friends. “I pray now the Holy Spirit gives me the words to articulate this, but I think it can be addressed with both truth and grace.”

Also in the book, Rosie candidly opened up about what it was really like to work alongside Whoopi Goldberg on the hit daytime talk show. “Whoopi Goldberg was as mean as anyone has ever been on television to me, personally — while I was sitting there. Worse than Fox News. The worst experience I’ve ever had on live television was interacting with her.”

While Rosie would probably turn back time if she could, the author of the explosive book feels quite the opposite. “I’m grateful that Rosie O’Donnell sat down with me for an honest conversation for my book,” Setoodeh revealed in a statement. “She fundamentally changed The View and is an influential part of the show’s history.” 

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