Rosie O’Donnell Defends Meghan McCain But Wishes She ‘Wouldn’t Be So Mean to Joy Behar’

Former View co-host Rosie O’Donnell admits she doesn’t watch the morning talk show anymore but does have a few words for current talent, Meghan McCain.

“I don’t watch it and I knew her when she was very young,” O’Donnell said on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. “I had the pleasure of working with her father for a lot of the Wounded Warrior Project. And so, got to know him through there and, you know, I think she’s in a difficult position.”

O’Donnell speaks from experiences when she was on the show from 2006 to 2007 and 2014 to 2015.

The majority of the show’s panel consist of liberal hosts like Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg and Sunny Hostin, so to be the one of the only republicans on the long-standing ABC morning show, is difficult enough as it is. However, that’s not the only reason the 57-year-old comedian sympathizes with her. McCain lost her father and former senator John McCain in 2018.

“[She’s] trying to do that while grieving,” the former host added. “She was very, very tight with her father, and he had been dying for a while. We watched her daily try to grieve and get through. It’s not really that easy. So I do have some compassion for her.”

While there is empathy that lingers, O’Donnell does have a few words for her as well.

“I wish she wouldn’t be mean to Joy Behar, who is, you know, like, a living legend, and should be respected for no other reason than she’s the elder statesman in the room,” she said.

She added that McCain called Behar a b— on air and wasn’t fond of that. Although, O’Donnell didn’t have the fondest of memories when it came to Goldberg, she did address their current relationship after the release of Ladies Who Punch, a tell-all book about what went on behind the scenes on The View.

“Well believe it or not, we bumped into each other physically at the Megan Mullally show of her concert in Cafe Carlyle and we were very cordial and said hello,” she explained. “I worked on a project with her for ABC since this whole McGillicutty occurred. And, you know, I’m always going to respect her. I’m always gonna look up to her. She’s somebody who was inspirational in my career and, you know, you like to keep those people in a place of reverence if you can. And that’s what I’m hoping to do.”