Could Barbara Walters be making a return to "The View" next fall? According to a new rumor, the veteran journalist is reportedly being eyed for a spot at the panel if ratings for the daytime talk show don't pick up.
A source told Radar Online that producers are desperate for ideas and are reportedly considering bringing Walters back for next season. The move will also try and squash the supposed feud between cohosts Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie O'Donnell.
"They've been talking about just letting it run its course this season and bringing it back with Barbara and a new panel in the fall," the source said. "They've talked about how to creatively bring her back and maybe use a little comedy, like it was all just a bad dream."
Walters, who retired from the show earlier this year, hasn't publicly commented on the rumors of a feud between her former colleagues. Reportedly, Goldberg and O'Donnell barely get along with each other. Earlier in the week, the two got into a heated argument about racism in America during a "Hot Topics" section.
Goldberg and O'Donnell couldn't see eye-to-eye on the topic and things got a little heated when O'Donnell stated that she knew what racism was because she's a gay woman. A source previously told Radar that the fight spilled backstage following the "Hot Topics" section because O'Donnell heard producers discussing using a split screen if the argument continued after the commercial break.
Supposedly, she felt producers were trying to use the disagreement to boost ratings.
"Rosie went absolutely ballistic, pointing out that was the reason she quit the first time," the source told Radar.
Back in 2007, O'Donnell abruptly left the show after an on-camera fight with former cohost Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
"Racism is a very serious subject, and Rosie felt that the staff of the show was trying to exploit it for ratings," the source added. "She threatened to walk out yet again, so using the split screen was ultimately shelved. Luckily, cooler heads prevailed when the show returned from a commercial break."
