Barbara Walters and Meredith Vieira

Sources connected with Barbara Walters and ABC said that Barbara Walters is angry at Meredith Vieira for leaving The View. We’re told that Walters feels betrayed after giving Vieira such a launching pad over the last nine years.

We’re also told Walters is angry at ABC for not matching Vieira’s NBC offer. Vieira will reportedly earn $40 million over the next four years for anchoring ’Today.’

Ironically, Walters pulled a reverse Meredith back in 1976, when she left her job as co-anchor of NBC’s ’Today’ to co-anchor ABC’s network newscast.

As for reports that Star Jones will be booted from ’The View,’ our sources say it’s all but a sure thing. One source says: “Barbara hates Star.” The New York Post reports that Rosie O’Donnell, Vieira’s replacement, made Star’s exit a condition to joining the daily gabfest.

As for reports that Gayle King will replace Star, the television show ’EXTRA’ caught up Oprah’s good friend, who said: “All I can say is nobody from ’The View’ has talked to me about joing ’The View’ and I certainly haven’t talked to anybody at ’The View.’”

In the interview airing tonight, King told ’EXTRA’: “I can’t imagine ’The View’ without her (Star), I really can’t.”

Video

Gayle King discusses the rumor she is joining The View

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Technorati Tags: Barbara Walters, Meredith Vieira, The View, Star Jones, Gayle King, Rosie O’Donnell