Rosie O’Donnell to Leave ‘The View’

By Chris Ariens 

Rosie O’Donnell will make next her last week at “The View” as she deals with family issues. O’Donnell returned as a co-host in September following a shake-up that left only Whoopi Goldberg as the returning host for the ABC show’s 18th season, along with a new production team and studio.

The New York Post, which first reported the news, says O’Donnell and her wife of three years, Michelle Rounds are splitting. “Rosie has teens and an infant at home that need her attention,” says O’Donnell’s rep in a statement. “This has been a very stressful situation. She is putting her personal health and family first.”

This was O’Donnell’s second stint on the show. The first lasted 18 months in 2006-’07 and ended amid on- and off-air disagreements with, most notably, co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, now a co-host of “Fox & Friends.”

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“Rosie is an immensely talented star who comes in each and every morning brimming with ideas, excitement and passion for the show,” an ABC spokesperson says in a statement. “When she told us that she wanted to exit ‘The View,’ we respected and understood her desire to put her well-being and her family first. And we know she’ll return to The View often with her unique point of view and updates on her work and her family.”

Earlier this week, Brian Balthazar announced he would be leaving his co-EP position on “The View.” He also joined in September, along with new co-hosts Rosie Perez and Nicolle Wallace.

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