Thursday, June 29, 2006

Star: Barbara Walters Is a Hypocrite


Barbara Walters and Star Jones Reynolds



The war of words between Star Jones Reynolds and Barbara Walters over the former's dramatic departure from The View this week continues to sizzle. As PEOPLE.com reported on Wednesday, Walters told PEOPLE she felt "betrayed" by Reynolds's comments to the magazine, referring to Reynolds's statement saying, "I feel like I was fired."

In response, Reynolds tells New York's Daily News: "For Barbara to say she felt betrayed is the height of hypocrisy." The statement echoes what she told PEOPLE: "I thought the audience deserved to have their Star tell them what the deal is. To now be accused of betrayal by someone I looked at as a mentor, when I was finally speaking up for myself instead of letting the executives and tabloids speak for me, is disheartening.”

Reynolds also says she hasn't spoken to Walters since Tuesday's show. The call to say she should not return for Wednesday's episode went from the network directly to her agent – and that "If anyone should feel betrayed, it should be me," Reynolds tells the News. After Reynolds announced on the air Tuesday that she would leave the show in July, ABC asked her not to come back at all.

When the show resumed on Wednesday, Walters, the show's creator, said: "We didn't expect her to make this statement yesterday. She gave us no warning." Walters went on to say, "It is becoming uncomfortable for us to pretend that everything is the same at this table.

And therefore, regrettably, Star will no longer be on this program." As for where she'll go next, Jones Reynolds tells PEOPLE, "I'm not sure what the future holds, but I'm absolutely sure who holds the future."

Source

No comments: