It's been a long time since Elisabeth Hasselbeck was fired from The View, but not so long that folks have forgotten the heated discussions that were had between her and other co-hosts. While ABC eventually decided not to renew her contract in 2013, leaked audio has revealed the network could've lost Hasselbeck well beforehand following a heated on-air discussion with Barbara Walters. Listen as Hasselbeck rages against Walters, and implies she's going to quit.
It's astonishing the whirlwind of events that transpired in that commercial break. Elisabeth Hasselbeck storms from the stage, gets a pep talk from Joy Behar, storms down to her dressing room, and is persuaded into returning to the program by executive producer Bill Geddie before the viewers at home were any the wiser. Sure, the tension between the two was addressed upon the return, but who would've ever thought things got to that level?
Since Variety released the leaked audio, Elisabeth Hasselbeck has talked about what was going on with her at the time of the incident. Hasselbeck broke it all down for followers on her Instagram, and said there were a lot of things at play that led to her expletive-laced reaction.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck said she regrets the swearing, but felt it was justified in the context of what she was discussing and how it related to her values. Hasselbeck added that she was pregnant with her child Taylor Thomas Hasselbeck, which may have made the debate she was having with her fellow co hosts a little more personal than everyone initially intended for it to be.
For all the anger and hurt feelings behind the scenes, though, there's some credit due to both Barbara Walters and Elisabeth Hasselbeck for making things seem all right. Few folks would want to be near each other after that, let alone embrace and act like it was no big thing. With that kind of reaction, they might've even fooled the live audience that the situation was as bad as it looked when she tore up her cue cards and left.
The video is just the latest story on Elisabeth Hasselbeck's drama on The View, as the former host revealed in the tell-all book Ladies Who Punch it was her conservative values that led to ABC not renewing her contract. Barbara Walter's quotes at the time seemed to imply that wasn't true, so this video may make some feel this video supports that argument one way or the other.
The View is still on ABC weekdays at 11:00 a.m. ET, but without Barbara Walters and Elisabeth Hasselbeck. That doesn't mean the show isn't making waves anymore, as the show gained a particularly vocal critic towards the end of last year. For more on other television worth watching over the next couple of months, visit our midseason premiere guide.
