Rosie Departs from The View
Rosie O’Donnell announced her departure from the view this week. We all kind of predicted this would happen but at least we know it is not due to the stoprosie.com campaign or because of Focus on the Family (extreme right-wing religious groups who discriminate against gays). We know now that the Rosie departure from The View was due to a contract agreement with ABC over the daytime show. Scarborough Country had been doing a real campaign against her even before the latest incident. I feel Rosie was picked on a little too much from the media and that our freedom of speech is limited these days especially when it comes to speaking up against Bush.
I am saddened to see Rosie leave the talk show but I am left with a bad taste in my mouth of a gay leader who is either being framed to say some of these things for ratings or really needs some lessons on respect. I disagree with Fox’s News Corp. and the conservative ideas of Rupert Murdock but for Rosie to make comments to him at a luncheon in front of so many high profile people during an introduction I begin to wonder what is going on. Why would someone give Rosie the podium to speak to such an introduction? It just seems to me that she is being setup to do this or she is clearly going too far at some points.
The View ratings have skyrocketed since she has took part in the show thanks to a feud with Donald Trump and standing up for Clay Aiken. Maybe its good someone stood up to Murdock who owns the Fox News channel but maybe in a way that makes him look bad (not the person speaking).
Rosie O’Donnell certainly has other businesses to run including a gay cruise and possibly a daytime show in the pipeline to compete with The View. I just hope she has not burned too many bridges in the post-Imus days that she cannot get herself back in sync.
Why Can’t Rosie be more like Ellen. We need some more gay and lesbian leaders and role models like Ellen Degeneres.
N offense, but what a weak way to end this post. I was nodding along as I read what you wrote til I got to that last line.
Ellen is great, but we don’t need more “ellen”. We need all kinds of different women… and in particular, some *fearless* speakers.
Ellen isn’t one to step on toes, and that works for her comedy and daytime show, but American television had grown far too good at drowning out the strong female voices — those who aren’t afraid to call things as they are and point out the mind control passing as legitimate journalism these days.
Rosie made her money, found her love and started her family… she has everything she needs so she is at a perfect point in her life to not play by network rules.
If she were a man saying the things she does, we’d have given her a show, newspaper column and be urging her to run for president by now. But because she’s a woman and furthermore, gay, she gets dismissed as the “angry lesbian”. She isn’t angry, she’s opinionated… and more of us should be.
I agree with you about Rosie. I am glad she is standing up to things. Maybe you are right a person should stand up 100% and strongly for what they believe. I just hate to see her burn so many bridges in front of people at this Women’s luncheon. I hope more people felt the same way as she did.
I find it so interesting that Rosie became much more outspoken after she publically came out, whereas Ellen kind of went underground for a while after her show was cancelled and then emerged stronger. In either case, I completely support both of them to be whatever and whoever and however they want to be. Yay public dykes!