Elisabeth Hasselbeck Pregnant with #2

Elisabeth Hasselbeck, co-host of "The View", announced today on the show that she is pregnant. This will be the second child for the conservative co-host and her husband, Tim Hasselbeck, who also have a girl named Grace.

At the beginning of Monday's show, co-host Rosie O'Donnell prodded Hasselbeck for any news of her life. She said "Like, I'm totally three months pregnant...the baby will come in November." The cohosts then joked that she had planned the pregnancy to coincide with sweeps.

This announcement does not come as a surprise for many bloggers who had speculated that the co-host might be pregnant. It was these rumors that caused O'Donnell to privately question Hasselbeck two weeks before the official announcement.

There has been no announcement as to whether or not she will be leaving "The View" permanently or simply taking some time off for the birth of her second child.

Hasselbeck appeared on television first as a contestant on the popular reality show "Survivor". She then appeared on the television show "The Look for Less" before landing a spot as a co-host on the talk show "The View".

Hasselbeck has long been known for her staunch conservative support as well as her often bizarre arguments for them. In arguing against gay marriage in the ninth season of the View, she likened a same sex union to marrying a toaster.

She also is strongly against the morning after pill, a fact that became readily apparent when she argued with Barbara Walters on air during a Hot Topics segment about the controversial method of birth control. During one show, she admitted to hiding in the bathroom brushing her teeth as a method of preventing pregnancy after the birth of her first child.

If Hasselbeck leaves the show, there will only be two of the original co-hosts, Joy Behar and Barbara Walters. "The View" lost two cohosts last season when Meredith Viera left to join the "Today Show" and Star Jones Reynold's contract was not renewed.

Hasselbeck's pregnancy has fueled rumors that "The View" may be finishing its final season. Last week, O'Donnell announced she was leaving after contract negotiations with ABC Daytime had failed.

Another challenge for "The View" will be the extra hour that will be added to the "Today Show", directly competing for morning viewing audiences. The additional hour for the high rated television news program will debut in September.

SOURCES:

The View: Retrieved April 30, 2007 from http://abc.go.com/daytime/theview/

Fox News: Retrieved April 30, 2007 from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,269148,00.html