Rosie says ‘View’ producers threatened lawsuit

Rosie O’Donnell and Howard Stern ended their long feud on June 3 when O’Donnell called in to the Stern’s radio show. Among the topics they discussed were her final days of “The View,” which O’Donnell remembers differently from ABC insiders who were there.

O’Donnell started out by telling Stern she left because she wasn’t enjoying the work anymore — that she was paying people to raise her kids. O’Donnell then added that when she told the show of her decision, producers threatened to sue O’Donnell if she left.

“That is completely inaccurate,” said an ABC insider. “It just not true that the producers wanted to sue her.” (The producers, by the way, would be Barbara Walters — who didn’t get a very fair shake in O’Donnell’s memoir “Celebrity Detox: The Fame Game” — and Bill Geddes.)

Another source within the network said that O’Donnell’s version of her departure wasn’t as contentious as she recalls. “Rosie had been rocking the boat for a while. She didn’t have much time left in her contract — there was less drama in having her go than keeping her there.”

That wasn’t the only hot topic discussed. O’Donnell also maintained her stance on a possible Sept. 11 conspiracy theory. She believes the towers could not have fallen without the help of explosives. We might be in store for more of this type of discussion. O’Donnell also said that she’s been listening more to radio, and is interested in taking over the hour after Stern’s broadcast. Stern offered her an audition.

Think it was staged? O’Donnell responded to speculation in a favorite mode of communication, free-verse poetry-ish blogging: “no / we spoke once / at nobu restaurant / a year ago / that’s it.”

(source)