Following the passing of Barbara Walters, who died shortly before the New Year at the age of 93, The View dedicated an entire episode to the veteran newscaster as co-hosts both new and old reminisced about their favorite moments with Walters. However, one person was noticeably missing: Rosie O’Donnell.
Originally, the comedian’s spokesperson said that it was simply a matter of scheduling, and she was unable to reschedule a flight, which tracks given the recent turmoil at airports. However, in a new Instagram post, O’Donnell admitted that she was afraid she’d get too emotional amongst the massive The View gathering.
Via PEOPLE:
“I looked on you on BW tribute today,” the fan wrote on O’Donnell’s TikTok, the comment popping up in a bubble on the screen.
“Yeah, they invited me, but I wasn’t able to make it,” O’Donnell, 60, responded in a subdued tone, sharing it on her Instagram.
“You know, I didn’t want to be in a big group of people — I was worried that I would get upset and um, didn’t want to do that, so, there you go,” she said.
While O’Donnell’s fans were completely understanding, her longtime friend Debi Mazar rushed to Rosie’s defense in the comments and threw a little shade at The View in the the process.
“Mourning is personal & PRIVATE,” Mazar wrote. “A display for PR purposes is kind of vulgar, in my opinion. Barbara ADORED you. Remember when she came backstage after your wonderful performance in The Vagina Monologues? She came just for you.”
(Via PEOPLE)
