Barbara Walters, Elisabeth Hasselbeck Not Leaving 'The View' (VIDEO)
"The View" host Barbara Walters addressed ongoing reports on Monday regarding the future of her co-hosts.
On Friday, Joy Behar confirmed reports that she is not returning to the show next season, and while similar reports surfaced regarding conservative co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Walters explained that they were not true.A source, however, claims that the denial is simply a cover-up to "save face."
"The truth is, we love Elisabeth ... Beyond that, we value and appreciate her point of view," Walters said after reconfirming that Behar is in fact leaving the show.
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"It's important to us because Elisabeth helps give this show perspective and balance ... We have no plans for Elisabeth to leave the show," she continued.
In a report via Us magazine, a source claimed Hasselbeck, who joined the show in 2003, had recently been informed that her contract would not be renewed in season 17. Viewers had allegedly described her as being "too extreme and right wing," which producers reportedly feared was affecting ratings.
Although Hasselbeck appeared to be slightly nervous on Monday, Walters insisted that the controversial co-host is not going anywhere.
In response to Walters' denial, a source claimed producers are "just leaving the door open for Elisabeth to announce she is leaving on her own when she is ready," Us magazine reports.
"They don't want to make her look bad and don't want to make the show look bad for canning her ... They just want to make it seem like Elisabeth decided to leave on her own when the announcement comes," the insider claimed.
Walters, 83, was also rumored to be contemplating leaving the daytime talk show more than a decade after creating it.
"A lot of things are still being figured out," a source reportedly told RumorFix.com.
The veteran journalist immediately shot down reports of her leaving the show, telling the audience that she "cannot leave the show right now."
