Rosie O’Donnell wishes Meghan McCain ‘wouldn’t be mean to Joy Behar’ on ‘The View’

Meghan McCain and Joy Behar (Photo: Meghan Lou Rocco/WALT DISNEY TELEVISION and Jeff Neira/Walt Disney Television)

The vibe between Meghan McCain and Joy Behar on “The View” has Rosie O’Donnell, a former host on the daytime talk show, feeling conflicted.

“The View” vet, 57, went on “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen” on Monday and shared her take on McCain, 34, who became a host on the show two years ago. McCain is known for her conservative politics, while O’Donnell gained a reputation as a liberal.

O’Donnell said she wishes McCain was kinder to co-host Behar, who hosted the show with O’Donnell. The week prior, McCain got flack for hurling harsh words at Behar on the air.

“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,” O’Donnell said.

Despite their political disagreements, O’Donnell said she has compassion for the younger host, whose father, Sen. John McCain died in August.

“I knew her when she was very young,” O’Donnell said of McCain. “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 said McCain’s time on the show hasn’t been easy.

“She was very, very tight with her father, and he had been dying for a while,” O’Donnell said. “We watched her daily try to grieve and get through. It’s not really that easy. So I do have some compassion for her.”

O’Donnell also discussed her interest – or lack thereof – in “The Talk,” a CBS talk show hosted by Julie Chen which has drawn comparisons with “The View.” Despite rumors that O’Donnell turned down a spot on the program, she said she was never offered a seat in the first place.

“They didn’t ask me to be on ‘The Talk,’ ” she said. “I know there was the rumor that they did, but I just went when Julie Chen was having people fill in. I was one of many people. You know, I live in New York. It would be very hard for me to move with my family out to California. So that was never a real thing.”

O’Donnell also said “The Talk,” which aims to stay away from political commentary, would not have been a good fit for her.

“I think ‘The Talk’ is just happy and that’s what they want it to be, light and airy,” said O’Donnell. “I could get into the deep dark dungeons of what’s going on and what we have to do as Americans.”

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