I thought Walters' statement was excellent, and an extraordinary moment in the normally predictable mush of network TV. As co-owner of the show and a protector of her own image, her obligation is to protect the franchise. To cast Star Jones as a victim of anything but her own hubris is a stretch. You leave a job, you grit your teeth and smile, and then you give the 'I wasn't treated well' interview after you're secure in your new gig. Then you can claim triumph. You don't try to inflame your constituents, when you don't have that many.

The old gal still has some spirit left in her. Now she should use it to get rid of that bleach blonde, conservative, pro-Bush, dipstick who goes by the name of "Elizabeth". Rosie O'Donnell will hopefully put her in her place...

But then again, smart people don't watch this kind of garbage, so, who cares ??

Back in the beginning, when Barbara Walters kissed k.d.lang, for example, it felt like a cool, radical show.

But eventually the rest of TV caught up and The View stopped moving ahead of the rest of TV and settled into a rut and stopped being interesting or relevant.

Star should go back to her former profession of prosecuting criminals. That was the best job for her personality and outlook on life.

Too bad that career doesn't bring in enough money to suit her needs.

And if they need to put a conservative on the show for balance, why can't they find one who actually studied in college and can support her Hot Topic opinions with facts that are actually true?

An educated conservative in touch with reality -- that might make the show cool and radical again.

I am no fan of this show. There is not one woman on that panel that I find particularly likable or interesting. While I find Star Jones rather distasteful and a prime example of much of the overconsumption that typifies our culture, wasn't she merely speaking the truth? Barbara Walters said that she could say anything about her departure and they would back her up. Well, she said the truth, she got fired. It goes to show how people in positions or power like Barbara Walters are asking others to manipulate the truth to maintain their own image. They were asking her to lie. She chose not to, for that I applaud her. The media is ripe with such efforts to mask truth or bend it in ways that may be advantageous to some but not others. In employer/employee relationships there is a lot of political maneuvering that goes on behind the scenes. It doesn't surprise me at all that The View had such territoriality going on behind the scenes, with that many obnoxious women it was bound to be the case. I am glad their dirty laundry got aired, this kind of thing happens on a macro and micro scale all the time and is rarely discussed.

"We told her she could explain her departure anyway she wanted and we would back her up" - except tell the truth? "We hoped she would leave with dignity but she chose another way?" Ouch! And watch your backs, girls!

It's funny that Jones was given permission to say whatever she wanted to the press and to pretend she wasn't canned, but then when she criticized the addition of Rosie O'Donnell to the show, a woman who's criticized her in the past, she was not only shown the door but publicly shamed in the process.

From everyting I've read, canning Star had nothing to do with Rosie. Her contract wasn't renewed prior to Rosie being brought on board. Baba was pissed that Star didn't announce her departure when and how the powers that be at the show wanted Star to announce it. That's why she will no longer be appearing on the show.

My goodness! A conservative white woman fires her black employee and then goes out of her way to publicly humiliate her when the black refuses to stand up and take her whipping in silence. What a surprise!

Go Barbara. Just go.

Gotta keep that demographic.

And I'm with Patricia on this one.

I never can get the Salon videos to work (meaning, the ones with the little Salon "s" in the corner - the others work just fine). I'm wondering why that might be?