After intense media speculation over the weekend surrounding Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s future on ‘The View,’ on the March 11 edition of the talk show, host and creator Barbara Walters shot down any speculation that Hasselbeck had been fired. Speaking on Monday morning, Walters denied the rumors and stated that:
“The truth is we love Elisabeth. I like her personally, and she's just a wonderful person. But beyond that we value and appreciate her point of view, it's important to us, because Elisabeth helps give the show perspective and balance. And believe me she's tougher than she looks. She’s had to sit here for a decade and take the kind of guff we give her. So we have no plans for Elisabeth to leave this show.”
MP3 audio here.
This comes three days after a piece by Us magazine claiming Hasselbeck had been fired from ‘The View’ because viewers found her “too extreme and right wing.” This should come as good news to conservatives who have long claimed ‘The View’ is extremely liberal, and keeping Hasselbeck provides a needed foil to her liberal co-hosts.
In the past, Hasselbeck has been the lone voice of reason on ‘The View’ in such examples as smacking down Joy Behar on multiple occasions and mocking Bill Maher. Even so, as those familiar with her tenure on the program can attest, the Hasselbeck of 2013 is much more timid and much less resolute with her conservative stands than just a few years ago.
See relevant transcript below.
ABC
The View
March 11, 2013
11:05 a.m. EDT
BARBARA WALTERS: On another note, and perhaps a more serious note, before we get on with "hot topics," Whoopi, there's a particularly false story that keeps getting picked up about Elisabeth's alleged departure saying that we don't approve of her conservative views. The truth is we love Elisabeth. I like her personally, and she's just a wonderful person. But beyond that we value and appreciate her point of view, it's important to us, because Elisabeth helps give the show perspective and balance. And believe me she's tougher than she looks. She’s had to sit here for a decade and take the kind of guff we give her. So we have no plans for Elisabeth to leave this show. Okay. Having said that to all of you, Bill and I have always said that when one of you makes the choice to leave, that's your choice. And we will support your decision. Okay? But right now, the only person who cannot leave this show is me.
