A new report in the Daily Mail surfaced today claiming that Rosie Perez quit the ABC talk show early because she was “forced” to apologize to Osbourne following the guest co-host’s remarks about Donald Trump and Latinos.
“If you kick every Latino out of this country, then who is going to be cleaning your toilet, Donald Trump?” the 30-year-old Osbourne said, later apologizing for her choice of words.
While Perez appeared initially taken aback, she defended Kelly at the end of the show and later tweeted that her heart is “so pure and righteous.” But was she forced to by ABC execs, as the Mail‘s story suggests?
“Laughably false,” a source tells E! News of the report. “Rosie’s days off were scheduled the day before Kelly was a guest on The View. What she said at the end of the show and what she tweeted to Kelly were entirely genuine. No one made her do anything. And she and Kelly spoke after the show.”
Perez’s planned exit from the show after co-hosting for a mere 10 months was previously confirmed to E! News in early July.
“You guys all heard [the news]. I’ve decided that it’s time to move on and I will say that today is very bittersweet for me,” Perez said while bidding a tearful goodbyeto the show last month. “I am excited for what is to come but I am so sad to leave The View, the staff, the producers, ABC and especially these two ladies,” she said through her tears, pointing at Whoopi Goldberg and Nicolle Wallace.