Rosie Returns Loud and Proud on The View (page 2)
by Anna Wahrman, November 6, 2006

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But the best thing Rosie has brought to The View isn't improved ratings or new advertisers. Nor is it her politics, her gay agenda or her sense of humor. She has simply brought back the Rosie of yore. She's loose, funny and spirited. She's the Rosie I remember and America used to adore.

It's clear that coming out of the closet has imbued in Rosie a sense of peace, happiness, and contentment, which makes sense. Her openness about her sexuality has somehow given her the freedom to be entertaining again, relaxed instead of agitated (although she does still get plenty annoyed when it comes to Bill O'Reilly).

The show has sponged up Rosie's vibe, and it benefits considerably. Instead of bitchy snipefests and crosstalk, there's a sense of calm on this View, a real coffee klatch. The four women — Rosie's co-hosts include comedian Joy Behar, former Survivor cast member Elisabeth Hasselbeck and legend Barbara Walters, plus rotating guest hosts when Walters is absent — have a playful, comfortable interplay that feels like a treat.

It also feels like a throwback to the first few seasons not only of The View but also The Rosie O'Donnell Show. The show simply works better now that it serves its intended purpose — just some friends gabbing about the day's issues — rather than being a platform for former host Star Jones' brand of holier-than-thou preachiness and generally bad mojo.

The tone of these usually friendly exchanges means that slowly but surely, and right before our same-sex-loving eyes, Rosie is helping to change minds the best way possible: One at a time, by introducing them to an actual gay person instead of making us all out to be sexual fiends.

One needs look only as far as Rosie's left hand to recognize the phenomenon. Even conservative, Christian co-host Elisabeth admitted she refers to Rosie as married (Joy too — though Joy objected much more strenuously to the slur). And Joy is most often the instigator of the gay talk, needling Rosie: Are you a boob woman? A butt woman? (Rosie said it was all about the eyes.) In fact, perhaps the most progressive thing about having a lesbian talking about the sometimes mundane details of her life (yes, we go to Target, too) is that it's all within the conversation, just like any gay lady would have with her buds.

She exhibits every day that gays are just like everyone else: As parents they are just as concerned about their kids' safety as straights are; they're just as caring and as crafty, just as involved and as cordial and as silly and as entitled to be treated fairly. And instead of an abstract concept, gay marriage is a real issue that's serious to someone in straight viewers' lives, even if that person only comes through their televisions for an hour a day.

During the run of Rosie's show, I never really cared about tickling Elmo or seeing stories about disabled but triumphant kids, and I still don't. Looking back, I think I mostly watched to see how gay she could be without people really catching on. The newsgroup had lots of fellow RIG spotters.

Now America's willful blinders have been removed (screw you, RING people!), and they're responding to Rosie's renewed authenticity. She makes the viewers once again say, “Rosie is so down to earth! Rosie is such a fan herself! Rosie watches TV just like we do!” And it turns out that they like (very) openly gay Rosie just as much as they liked “Queen of Nice” Rosie. Even better, we all feel like we are getting to know the real Rosie. The open closet door has been good to her, and that's definitely good for the rest of us.

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