Elisabeth Hasselbeck responds to Rosie O'Donnell's 'crush' comments on 'The View'

The former "View" co-host returns to the table six years after leaving the show.

March 26, 2019, 4:02 PM

Tuesday on "The View," Elisabeth Hasselbeck said Rosie O'Donnell's comments about having a "crush" on Hasselbeck during their time co-hosting on "The View" together were "reckless," untrue," and "disturbing when it comes to how she felt about somebody in the workplace."

Six years after leaving "The View," former co-host Hasselbeck joined the table once again to speak candidly about her time on the show and her relationships with other co-hosts.

O'Donnell, who left "The View" in 2015, revealed in "Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of ‘The View'" by Ramin Setoodeh that she was attracted to Hasselbeck in a non-sexual way.

"There was a little bit of a crush," O'Donnell said. "But not that I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to support, raise, elevate her, like she was the freshman star shortstop and I was the captain of the team."

"I was going to Scottie Pippen her. If I was Jordan, I was going to give her and the ball and let her shoot. But it was in no way sexualized."

PHOTO: Elisabeth Hasselbeck on "The View," March 26, 2019.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck on "The View," March 26, 2019.
Lou Rocco/ABC

On "The View" this week, Hasselbeck said she asked for the Holy Spirit to "work through" her and for the Lord to "help" her address O'Donnell's comments "with some grace" before responding.

"I think what she said was reckless, untrue, and -- not only insulting -- disturbing when it comes to how she felt about somebody in the work place," Hasselbeck said.

Bringing to mind that O'Donnell's admission should be taken seriously, Hasselbeck made the case that if it was a man that made the same declarations, it would easily be "a situation where you would see the objectification of a woman in the work place.

"You don't get a pass because you're a lesbian objectifying a woman in the work place," she continued. "The feeling was not mutual, but I did respect her as a co-host and as a person in the office."

PHOTO: Elisabeth Hasselbeck, left, and Rosie O'Donnell attend an event in New York City, Nov. 09, 2006.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck, left, and Rosie O'Donnell attend an event in New York City, Nov. 09, 2006.
Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic via Getty Images, FILE

Despite that, Hasselbeck professed on "The View" that she now has "the grace of forgiveness" that she didn't have before.

"I forgive Rosie. I absolutely forgive her," Hasselbeck said. "She has my forgiveness, full heart, and I really pray that she can just have the peace that she deserves. That's my ultimate prayer."

Hasselbeck said on "The View" that she tried to call O'Donnell herself to tell her that everything is forgiven, but didn't have her new phone number.

O'Donnell reacted to Hasselbeck's live response in a tweet Tuesday morning.

"My crush on you was not sexual – sorry you got scared," O'Donnell said in a tweet. "Surely you recall before it all went wrong – I never objectified you – I did find you fantastic ... we were friends once. God love ya kid – I always did."

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