Star Jones Reynolds to leave daytime talk show The View

U.S. daytime talk personality Star Jones Reynolds confirmed tabloid rumours Tuesday by announcing she was leaving ABC's The View.

Reynolds, a former prosecutor who has been on the Barbara Walters-spawned daily chat program since it began in 1997, announced her departure on-air Tuesday morning.

"The View is now moving in a new direction, and I will not be returning this fall," she told viewers.

"I'm not sure what the future holds," Reynolds said, "but I'm absolutely sure who holds the future."

In the issue of Peoplehitting newsstands this Friday, Reynolds tells the magazine that she feels "like she was fired" and claims that her contract was not renewed for the upcoming 10th season ofthe program.

Daytime talk plays musical chairs

Rumours that Reynolds was leaving have been floating ever since ABC announced in late April that comedienne and award-winning talk show host Rosie O'Donnell would be replacing View moderator and co-host Meredith Vieira this fall.

Vieira was tapped by NBC as Katie Couric's successor on the top-rated Today, after Couric announced she was leaving to anchor the CBS Evening News.

On Tuesday, Walters urged The View audience to give Reynolds a standing ovation and said she was sad the situation "has turned out this way."

Joy Behar, another co-host, appeared shocked at the news. "Who am I going to fight with?" Behar asked.

"Something tells me you will have somebody to fight with," Reynolds replied.

Longtime sparring partners

After ABC's announcement in April, buzz had been building over the possible on-air skirmishes between O'Donnell and Reynolds.

Over the years, the two verbally sparred several times during O'Donnell's periodicappearances as a guest on The View.

Most recently, O'Donnell, who has battled with her own weight, has been publicly critical of Reynolds for her refusal to admit to viewers how she lost more than 100 pounds in the past two years. Reynolds has only mentioned an unspecified "medical intervention."

O'Donnell has said she believes Reynolds has undergone gastric bypass surgery and has criticized the former lawyer for perpetuating the notion such extreme weight loss can occur simply from exercise and diet change.

There have also been rumours about Reynolds disapproving of non-traditional lifestyles.

After winning six Emmy Awards in six years for her eponymous talk show, O'Donnell ended the program in order to spend more time with her children and partner, Kelli Carpenter.