Tuesday's full episode of The View—their first live episode of the year—was a tribute to Barbara Walters who died on December 30 at the age of 93.
The show's current and former co-hosts alike shared their gratitude for Walters—who paved the way for them—and also recalled some of their favorite moments with the show's creator and former co-host.
Right away, many viewers of the episode noticed that former co-host Rosie O'Donnell was not present for the tribute.
Replying to comments about her absence, O'Donnell posted a video to Instagram to share the reason.
A fan's comment, "I looked for you on BW tribute today," was at the top of the screen as O'Donnell revealed:
"Yeah, they invited me, but I wasn't able to make it."
"You know, I didn't want to be in a big group of people—I was worried that I would get upset and um, didn't want to do that, so, there you go."
Viewers fully accepted her response, noting grieving should be a personal process.
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Last week, O'Donnell posted a photo of herself with Walters and captioned the post, "Legend #ripbarbara."
O'Donnell had also posted a tribute to TikTok, reminding viewers of the "long and eventful and legendary life" Walters had.
She also shared in the video:
"I was lucky enough to be in her orbit for a good many years."
"May she rest in peace and may everyone remember just what barriers she broke down for women."
"She really did. She was the first and will always be remembered."
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