A 'View' to a Kill: Star Jones Makes Things Get Nasty

Just a few hours after a televised rehearsed display of saccharine warmth and affection between Barbara Walters and Star Jones Reynolds, their relationship quickly turned very chilly.

Jones yesterday astonished her "View" colleagues by announcing that she's leaving in mid-July . Reynolds' exit had been talked about for months, but they intensified Tuesday after reports on "Access Hollywood" and in the New York tabloids that an announcement would be coming soon.

Still, Walters said she was taken completely by surprise when Reynolds suddenly announced her departure after the first commercial break on Tuesday. That announcement had been planned for Thursday, she said. The ABC diva was clearly irked by the timing of Jones Reynolds' announcement, which caught her and the other "View" panelists completely off-guard. "Oh! How long are you going to be with us?" she asked on the air. And Walters basically accused her departing co-host of breaking a solemn promise.

Before Tuesday, Barbara Walters had been making public assurances that Jones was welcome to stay on the show as long as she wanted. Yesterday, Walters said that she had lied in order "to protect Star" from the damaging news that ABC had long ago decided not to renew her contract.

"I have always told the truth on this program, except in the case of Star," Walters said, her voice the temperature of liquid nitrogen. "The network decided long ago not to renew her contract. Her contract is with the network, not with me. I was trying to protect Star and her sensitivities. She has, after all, been on the program." Sticking in the knife, Walters added icily: "There are very strong reasons why [ABC execs] felt she had lost the audience."

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