There’s a tape circulating which features Elisabeth Hasselbeck walking off the show after being scolded by Barbara Walters during a heated Hot Topic about abortion. It offers a fascinating inside look into the The View during its Barbara Walters/Bill Geddie reign. Though I remember lauding Walters for admonishing a far-too-intense Hasselbeck, age, time, and our current climate has resulted in me viewing this exchange with a different lens.
Hasselbeck was on an island alone for years, and she held her own on that island. By all accounts, Walters was not the easiest to work with, and it makes sense to have a conversation about Hasselbeck’s tone OFF the air. In short, she humiliated her in front of a live audience. Even more interesting from the clip, is the genius that is Bill Geddie, for somehow finding a way to comfort Hasselbeck, convince her to go on the air, and simultaneously explain Walters’ point of view without defending it. To do that in less than four minutes is incredible. Watch below.