Several hours after Rosie O'Donnell posted a cryptic video montage that included stills from "The View," and photos of her colleagues, ABC announced the outspoken co-host would not be returning to the daytime gabfest.
The video clip that O'Donnell posted Friday on her personal website Rosie.com is entitled "True Colors 2007."
The accompanying soundtrack was Cyndi Lauper's track "Sisters of Avalon," which includes the lyrics: "They brought her in in a new white dress/But the stain left an ache on her mother's breast/Now all that's left are the ghostly steps from a distant corridor."
Mere hours later, ABC announced that O'Donnell would be leaving the show early.
"We had hoped that Rosie would be with us until the end of her contract three weeks from now, but Rosie has informed us that she would like an early leave," said Brian Frons, the president of Disney-ABC's Daytime Television Group.
"Therefore, we part ways, thank her for her tremendous contribution to 'The View' and wish her well."
Barbara Walters, the show's creator and co-executive producer, expressed her appreciation for O'Donnell.
"I brought Rosie to the show. Rosie contributed to one of our most exciting and successful years at 'The View.' I am most appreciative. Our close and affectionate relationship will not change," Walter said.
O'Donnell kept her closing words brief and succinct.
"I'm extremely grateful. It's been an amazing year and I love all three women," she said.
Speculation began mounting O'Donnell might pack it up before her scheduled departure date after a long-running debate between her and co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck erupted into a full-blown war of words earlier this week.
On Wednesday, a discussion about the Iraq war went from discussion to shouting match in 10 gripping minutes of television that saw tears spring to O'Donnell's and Hasselbeck's eyes.
It was an embarrassing exchange that sparked speculation that the two co-hosts had effectively killed their professional careers by losing their cool.
One gambling website, BetUS.com, says the odds that O'Donnell will get her own talk show are at -8000, which means you would basically have to bet $80 to reap a $1 profit.
For the record, odds that O'Donnell will join a Donald Trump corporation are +500; start a new comedy show satirizing Walters are +5000; compete in beauty pageants are +15,000; and sell trailers are +15,000.
Cryptic comments
O'Donnell posted other comments this week on her personal website that further fuelled speculation she might not return to her seat on the daytime chat show. Her last day was to have been June 20.
When one fan wrote "Work isn't worth that battle," O'Donnell replied, "Agreed." Then when another wrote, "Please walk away. It's not worth it," the outspoken co-host wrote back, "Well, you know when it's time to go."
To another fan, O'Donnell wrote in her customary free verse:
"it may be time
to be done
endings r hard 4 all
emotions r high
talking is tough"
And on Thursday, O'Donnell posted a video that may represent how she was feeling about her talk show gig.
The clip showed ducks wading in a pond, with the accompanying audio track of the John Mayer song "Vultures," whose lyrics include "How will I hold my head to keep from going under?" and "How did they find me here? What do they want from me? All of these vultures hiding right outside my door."
Tempers and tantrums
Walters dismissed suggestions Wednesday's political sparring match was designed to buoy ratings.
"Welcome to 'The View' ... so Aunt Barbara is back and there will be peace in the kingdom," Walters said in an exclusive statement to ABC麻豆影视.com Thursday.
"It's a hot weekend, so everybody can cool off," Walters continued.
On Thursday, "The View" aired without O'Donnell, who had scheduled a day off to celebrate her partner Kelli Carpenter's 40th birthday.
Further adding fuel to the fire, the New York Post's Page Six gossip column suggested the internal bickering had reached a new level between O'Donnell and Hasselbeck, who until now have insisted that they are friends off-air.
O'Donnell's chief writer, and old friend, Janette Barber was allegedly escorted from the building after she purportedly scribbled graffiti -- said to be moustaches -- on photographs of Hasselbeck that hang in "The View" studios.
In a vague but telling statement, ABC confirmed to The Post that that "photographs at 'The View's' offices were defaced. Rosie O'Donnell was not in the building. ABC Legal and Human Resources are investigating the matter."
Barber worked with O'Donnell years ago on her namesake talk show.
There were also rumours that O'Donnell was so peeved after her on-air squabble Wednesday that she trashed her dressing room. But ABC denied the tantrum.
Hasselbeck, who had previously butted heads with O'Donnell about the U.S.-led war in Iraq, hosted the show with Walters, Joy Behar, and guest host Kathy Griffin. They briefly touched on the argument before moving on to other topics.
A controversial tenure
The on-air debate capped a controversial season on the daytime talk show, which has been making headlines since O'Donnell joined the show in September.
The opinionated co-host's tenure has not been without its controversies, including a name-calling spat with Trump that dominated headlines for days.
O'Donnell's outspoken views, namely on the Bush administration the war in Iraq, have also sparked numerous debates with Hasselbeck, the only conservative among the four co-hosts.
O'Donnell announced last month that she is leaving when her contract ends in June, saying that she and ABC couldn't agree to terms about their contract.
In the weeks that followed, O'Donnell said she didn't want to argue with Hasselbeck anymore, particularly because her 29-year-old colleague is expecting her second child.
But the latest controversy reached a feverish pitch this week after a heated discourse from an earlier show, when O'Donnell said, "655,000 Iraqi civilians have died. Who are the terrorists?"
On Monday, O'Donnell complained that conservative pundits interpreted her statement to mean she was calling American troops "terrorists." Then two days later, on Wednesday, she asked Hasselbeck if she thought O'Donnell believed the soldiers were terrorists.
Heated exchange
Rather than respond to the question, Hasselbeck called on O'Donnell to clarify her statement.
"I asked you if you believed what the Republican pundits were saying," O'Donnell said to Hasselbeck.
"Did I say yes?" Hasselbeck replied.
"You said nothing and that's cowardly," O'Donnell was quick to fire back.
"No, no, no. Do not call me a coward because I sit here every single day, open my heart and tell people exactly what I believe," Hasselbeck yelled.
"So do I," replied O'Donnell.
At first, O'Donnell appeared wary to return to the debate.
"Because here's how it gets spun in the media: 'Rosie, big fat lesbian loud Rosie, attacks innocent pure Christian Elisabeth,' " she said.
Hasselbeck said that was "unfair," adding: "I just don't understand why it's my fault if people spin words that you put out there or phrases that suggest things. And I gave you an opportunity two days ago to clarify the statement that got you in trouble on all those things."
"That got me in trouble?" O'Donnell repeated sarcastically. "As a friend, you gave me the opportunity. That was very sweet of you. I was asking if you, who actually knows me, do you believe I think our troops are terrorists, Elisabeth?"
Hasselbeck paused.
"Do you believe that, yes or no?" O'Donnell pushed.
Hasselbeck held her finger up in the air. "Excuse me. Let me speak."
"You're going to doublespeak," O'Donnell said. "It's just a yes or a no."
"I am not a double speaker, and I don't put suggestions out there that lead people to think things and then not answer my own question, OK?" Hasselbeck retorted. "I don't believe that you believe troops are terrorists. I have said that before. But when you say something like 650,000 Iraqis are dead, we invaded them ... "
"It's true!" O'Donnell said.
"Let me finish!" Hasselbeck replied.
"You don't like facts!" O'Donnell was quick to say.
Hasselbeck's tone became increasingly angrier: "I am all about facts. You know that. You tell me not to use facts because you want me to go only on emotion. Guess what? I like facts."
Both hosts appeared on the verge of tears during the impromptu dispute, which lasted for nearly 10 minutes.
Mounting tension
As the tone grew more heated, Behar and guest co-host Sherri Shepherd fidgeted in their seats and pretended to stand to break the tension, while the audience appeared increasingly uncomfortable.
But the two kept it up, and the producers switched to a split screen that showed both co-hosts.
O'Donnell said she was offended that Hasselbeck didn't back her up.
"I am certainly not going to be the person for you to explain your thoughts," Hasselbeck responded, pointing her finger at her co-host. "They're your thoughts. Defend your own insinuations! Defend your own thoughts!"
"Frankly, every time I defend them, it's poor little Elisabeth that I'm picking on," O'Donnell responded.
"That's why I'm not going to fight with you anymore, because it's absurd. So for three weeks, you can say all the Republican crap that you want. I'm not going to do it."
"It's much easier to fight someone like Donald Trump, isn't it?" Hasselbeck replied furiously, referring to O'Donnell's feud with the real estate magnate. "Because he's obnoxious."
"I think it's sad because I don't understand how there can be such hurt feelings when all I did was say, 'Look, why don't you tell everybody what you said?'" Hasselbeck continued. "I did that as a friend."
"Every day since September I have told you that I support the troops," O'Donnell shot back. "I asked you if you believed what the Republican pundits were saying. You said nothing, and that's cowardly."
"No, no, no!" Hasselbeck said angrily. "You will not call me a coward, because No. 1, I sit here every single day, open my heart and tell people exactly what I believe."
"So do I!" O'Donnell said.
"Do not call me a coward, Rosie."
"It was cowardly."
"It was not cowardly, it was honest."
Behar interrupted: "Is there no commercial in this show?"
Hasselbeck continued: "I'll tell you what's cowardly. Asking a rhetorical question that you never answer yourself. That is cowardly."
By this time, Behar had had enough. "Who is directing this show?" she said. "Let's go to commercial!" The audience broke into applause.
And so the final curtain fell for the outspoken O'Donnell. "The View" airs in Canada on CTV. Check your local listings for details.
