Rosie Perez Leaving 'The View'
By Lisa de Moraes
EXCLUSIVE: Another Rosie is leaving The View. This time, it’s Rosie Perez.
Her last day on the ABC News program will coincide with the last original show of the season on August 6th. Expect her to talk about her exit on tomorrow’s broadcast.
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“Our friend Rosie Perez has decided to leave the show to pursue full time her love for acting,” Bill Wolff, show EP, told staff this afternoon in an email.
No word yet on the future of co-host Nicolle Wallace. Raven Symone, who only joined the show in June, and Whoopi Goldberg are locks to come back next season, but Wallace’s future is unclear. Sources report talks with Wallace have just begun. But, Wallace, a longtime political adviser as well as commentator, also is a contributor at NBC News’ MSNBC, and frequently appears on its Morning Joe program – more frequently as the presidential election cycle revs up. That said, The View has enjoyed some of its highest ratings during presidential election races and Wallace brings instant credibility to the show as well as a much needed conservative perspective.
Back in January, ABC News shot down a report that Perez was out at The View, issuing a statement: “Rosie Perez is currently in rehearsal for her Broadway play for the month of January. Her status with the show has not changed.” A press report had speculated she would not return to The View after taking a pre-planned break to rehearse with Larry David in his Broadway production, Fish in the Dark. Several reported noted at the time ABC’s statement did not address the long-term prognosis for Perez on the show, which went on to be a success that is still going strong.
“Rosie wants to thank ABC for their graciousness and their flexibility with her schedule during the Broadway run,” her rep told Deadline when contacted for comment this afternoon.
Rosie’s haven’t been so lucky for The View. Less than a month after that January report surfaced about Rosie Perez exiting, ABC News confirmed Rosie O’Donnell was leaving the show.
Perez had been announced as one of the new panelists at the same time the addition of Nicolle Wallace was made official, joining the back-from-gone Rosie O’Donnell — all of whom were signed to one-year deals. They joined Goldberg, who was the show’s only returning panelist. Of the new lineup, only Perez had been largely under the radar during the search. Perez had served as a guest co-host on the talk show in February 2014. Adding Perez into the mix meant the ladies of The View included three actresses: O’Donnell, Goldberg and Perez.
Weeks into its reboot, following the “retirement” of co-creator Barbara Walters, ABC News President James Goldston told his staff he was taking over The View – Goldston being the guy who helped former NBC News prez (and incoming Disney-ABC Television Group President) Ben Sherwood to reboot ABC’s Good Morning America. He named ABC News staffers who would “help guide The View in its exciting next chapter.”
Rosie O’Donnell’s departure marked the end of the second short stint as co-host for the opinionated and left-leaning O’Donnell. She originally joined The View in September 2006, replacing Meredith Vieria in the show’s air-traffic-controller chair. Back in those days, Barbara Walters was the show’s Den Mother and Rosie’s run ended after one acrimonious, headline-grabbing season, with ABC Entertainment — which then oversaw the show — saying the sides could not agree on terms of a contract extension. Rosie reappeared in Walters’ final few episodes which, story goes, so impressed ABC bigwigs they asked her to make a much-ballyhooed return to the show in September — which was greeted by a big ratings kick.
With its host lineup in a state of constant flux, ABC’s The View has been relying heavily on guest co-hosts, and a stable of revolving contributors are expected to take continue taking turns joining the full-time panelists – those that are left.
The View also is close to naming a successor to director Ashley S. Gorman, who left the show last month and has since joined the new Tyra Banks syndicated talk show FABLife. ABC News’ Jeff Winn has been filling in in the interim.
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