Rosie O’Donnell Sued for Slander: Former ‘View’ Producer Tells All

Rosie O'Donnell is finding herself in hot water again regarding her former gig as host on ABC's The View. Former Senior Producer Jennifer Shepard-Brookman has sued O'Donnell for slander which allegedly resulted in her being fired from the show.

The suit filed in New York state court on Oct. 15 states that O'Donnell resented co-host and fellow comedian Whoopi Goldberg and "accused Ms. Brookman of teaming with Ms. Goldberg to undermine Ms. O'Donnell."

Shepard-Brookman also claimed that the former host blamed her for leaking confidential information to the media. The suit stated one cause of action, slander, which Shepard-Brookman claims "caused her to suffer intense emotional distress ... destroyed her professional reputation, and led to her termination of employment." Shepard-Brookman is represented by New York's Brian Kennedy and Singer Deutsch.

"The allegations that have been made by Jennifer Brookman against Rosie O'Donnell are baseless and Ms. O'Donnell will defend herself vigorously in court," O'Donnell's attorney Nicolle Jacoby told The Hollywood Reporter.

This past weekend O'Donnell addressed her recent situation with her daughter during a stand-up performance at Gotham Comedy Club. O'Donnell along with her ex-wife Kelli Carpenter, adopted their daughter Chelsea in 1997. In a recent interview, Chelsea O'Donnell sparked headlines by criticizing the former daytime television host. While on stage, the comedian blamed her daughter's behavior on her age.

"Chelsea just turned 18," she said. "For adopted children 18 is a magic number. At 18 they're gonna rebel any way they can, any way they can get your attention. I keep thinking I see Chelsea. When your kid isn't there you see them everywhere." 

Chelsea attended her mother's performance and was seen in an Instagram post that O'Donnell shared earlier in the evening.  

A source close to the comedian recently shared that she is also struggling with depression. She touched on the subject in her comedy set.

"I know about mental illness – I have my own," she admitted. "I thought mental illness was failure of my character, not my chemistry."

This month will continue to be challenging for the controversial television host as she faces the court battle that is ahead.