That’s according to author Ramin Setoodeh, who interviewed Jones for his forthcoming tell-all book on the ABC daytime show,Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story ofThe View.
On Wednesday’s episode ofWatch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Setoodeh recalled the claims from Jones, who was an original cohost onThe Viewwhen it launched 1997 andremained on the show before getting axed as a cohost in 2006, right before the show’s 10th season.
Cindy Ord/Getty; Frazer Harrison/AMA2014/Getty; Joe Kohen/WireImage
In response, Jones, 57, released a statement to PEOPLE, saying, “My time atThe Viewwas one of the great opportunities of my lifetime. Of course there were conflicts over the years, however I will forever consider Barbara Walters (along with my dear friend, the late Johnny Cochran) to be one of my two most influential mentors. The opportunity to sit beside her for so many years was a ‘master class’ in many aspects of my personal and professional life that I relish and am eternally grateful for.”
Reps for Behar, 76, Walters, 89, andThe Vieware not commenting.
That’s not the only tea Setoodeh spilled about Jones onWWHL.He said that Jones had hired Judy Smith — the inspiration for Olivia Pope onScandal— to orchestrate her surprise exit fromThe View.
Jones‘ July 2006departure announcementhad been scheduled for two days later, but with Smith’s help, Jones surprised everyone on the panel (including Walters herself) whenshe announced on her own terms that she was leaving, he said.
The next day, Jones was absent from the program, with Walters reading a statement explaining that Jones decided not to “leave with dignity” and had made it “uncomfortable for us to pretend that everything is the same at the table.”
Ramin Setoodeh.Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
This is just one of the many revelations to come out ofLadies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story ofThe View, which drops April 2.
Excerpts of the title released this week have grabbed headline after headline, from Rosie O’Donnellclaiming that she had a non-sexual “crush” on costar Elisabeth Hasselbeckto Jenny McCarthyclaiming that Walters would constantly yell at herbehind the scenes (overeverything from her wardrobeto herstance on vaccines).
Star Jones.Anthony Barboza/Getty Images
“I had spent my entire adult life telling everyone that I was fine with the way I looked. I never thought I’d have to explain it,” she said. “The toughest part of the journey has been forgiving myself for not having the self-control I know I should have had, or admitting I needed help.”
The surgery, which she had in August 2003, came after she had ballooned up to 307 pounds. She revealed that she had been feeling lonely and using food as a tool to fill the void. “Whenever I felt lonely, a Double Whopper with cheese became my friend,” she said. “If I felt sad, six strips of bacon made me feel better.”
“Even though I claimed to be just fine with my weight, I saw how other women [colleagues] were treated like the girlfriend, while I was treated like the good friend,” she wrote. “To compensate for my insecurities, I spoke louder and ate more.”
After surgery, Jones rapidly lost upwards of 160 pounds over a three-year period.
source: people.com
