Rosie Expresses ‘Love’ & ‘Care’ For Barbara Walters

Despite their recent public war of words, Rosie O’Donnell insists she has nothing but love for her former “View” co-host Barbara Walters.

In an interview with Meredith Vieira on Monday morning’s “Today” show, Rosie said she doesn’t bear any ill-will towards her former morning show colleague.

“I’m not angry. I do care about Barbara Walters,” Rosie told Meredith, who also happens to be a “View” alumni. Nobody has a movie relationship where everything is all good, all the time. People have real relationships full of tense moments.”

Last week, Rosie spoke to reporters to promote her new show, who quoted her saying that Barbara “wanted everyone to believe and think and act as if [the panelists] get along and are really good friends… and, you know, that’s just not the reality.”

Her comments caused Barbara to take to the airwaves in response to what appeared to be a dig at “The View.”

“Some people who have done this show and then for years, they feel they have to dump on it, maybe for their own publicity,” Barbara said on Thursday’s show. “And that not only hurts me, but I resent it.”

On Monday, Meredith asked Rosie if she could understand why Barbara was upset.

“I do, but when you do like 60 interviews in an hour and every reporter asks you about ‘The View,’ I do the best that I can and I tell the truth as much as I can,” Rosie noted. “But every reporter has a question about ‘The View.’ ‘Are the women really friends? Do you all hang out together?’ And I say, you know, they don’t go to Chili’s after the show and have buffalo wings and a beer. I’m not saying they hate each other, but they’re not hanging out on the weekend.”

And while Rosie has never been shy about her feelings, she admitted she was sorry if her words caused Barbara pain.

“The fact that I hurt her is what hurts me. She is one of the women who paved the way for every other woman on TV in broadcasting and I love her,” Rosie continued. “Regardless of the fact that to her, I’m the rowdy teenage daughter she can’t control.”

Ultimately, Rosie said she doesn’t blame Barbara for feeling the way she did.

“I think there comes a point where she’s just had enough. I’m hard to take for some people,” Rosie told Meredith. “But listen, you can’t ever look at her life and career and have anything but respect for her. I do love her and that’s the bottom line – love is complicated.”

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