Outspoken O'Donnell to end run on ABC's The View
Rosie O'Donnell's headline-grabbing tenure as a co-host and moderator on TV's The View is set to end — less than a year since she joined the ABC chat show.
The outspoken and opinionated O'Donnell said in a statement that she was unable to come to a contract agreement with ABC and that she will be leaving in June.
"My needs for the future just didn't dovetail with what ABC was able to offer me," O'Donnell wrote.
She also added that her time on the daytime program "has been an amazing experience" that she "wouldn't have traded for the world."
O'Donnell's short stint as the moderator on The View was marked by controversy, including a bitter, high-profile feud she had with real estate mogul and reality TV personality Donald Trump and a bizarre visit by actor Danny DeVito, who appeared to be drunk while on the show.
O'Donnell also offended Chinese viewers when she jokingly mimicked speaking Chinese and has drawn the ire of conservative lobby group Focus on the Family, which has accused her of making anti-Christian comments.
On several occasions, show creator Barbara Walters has been forced to apologize for O'Donnell's comments — most recently last week, when she attacked media mogul Rupert Murdoch while speaking at the New York Women in Communication Awards ceremony.
Whether despite or because of her outrageous personality, The View saw its ratings skyrocket with O'Donnell at the helm. Her stint was controversial even before her actual start date because it followed the ousting of former co-host Star Jones, with whom O'Donnell had traded barbs in the past.
"I induced Rosie to come back to television on The View even for just one year," Walters said in the ABC statement.
"She has given the program new vigour, new excitement and wonderful hours of television. I can only be grateful to her for this year."
According to ABC, there are no current plans to announce a new co-host to join Walters, Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
In the late 1990s, O'Donnell had a hit syndicated talk show. In six years, she won six Daytime Emmy Awards for best talk show host. She left the show to focus on raising a family.
Some have rumoured that she could make a run at reviving her old talk show.
O'Donnell has also starred in film and on stage, including the movie A League of Their Own and the Broadway musicals Grease and Fiddler on the Roof.
With files from the Associated Press