Erin Andrews vs. Elisabeth Hasselbeck: May the Best Blonde Win!

View host makes light of DWTS contestant's victimization before feeling backlash and offering up a tearful apology

By Gina Serpe May 05, 2010 5:19 PMTags

We'll say this for Elisabeth Hasselbeck: She doesn't just blow it. She blows it big.

It was really only a matter of time, but The View's lightning-rod cohost is back in hot water, though in a refreshing change, this time around it has nothing to do with her politics.

And everything to do with her blab-first, think-later ignorance and insensitivity.

Yesterday—which, in an unfortunate bit of luck, also happened to be Erin Andrews' birthday—the conservative chatterer threw an ill-intentioned and even more ill-received opinion into the talk-show mix, sharing her disapproval of the ESPN host turned Dancing With the Stars contestant's recent costume choices.

In light of Andrews' recent headline-grabbing victimization, Hasselbeck thought Andrews might want to rethink her fabric-to-body ratio. (Um, has she ever seen DWTS?)

"For the past three weeks, she's been wearing next to nothing," Hasselbeck said, mounting her soapbox. "I think in light of what happened and as illegal and as inexcusable as it was for that guy to peep on her in her hotel room, in some ways, if I'm that guy, I'm like, 'Man, I just could've waited 12 weeks and seen this—a little bit less—without the prison time.' "

Now that's some creative victim-blaming. Happy birthday, Erin!

Of course, it didn't take long for her fighting words to go wide, and she got as good as she gave.

Andrews addressed what she called the "slap in the face to victims of stalking and sexual predators" after last night's show.

"The thing that I was most upset about is I felt she was mocking the situation. As a mother and a woman, I'm disappointed she went there."

Also to her defense was partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who tweeted, "I'm the one designing @ErinAndrewsESPN's dresses for the show, so I'll just assume that @ehasselbeck is jealous…and stupid 4 her comments."

"@ehasselbeck why did u have to throw @erinandrewsespn under the bus this morning?shame on u," Louis Van Amstel added. "Sorry, it was outta line…"

"So disappointed that anyone would attack @ErinAndrewsESPN after all she's been through," Evan Lysacek piled on.

Cheryl Burke, Niecy Nash and Tony Dovolani joined the online posse and tweeted Erin that they, "as well as the rest of DWTS!!!...we got your back!"

"Elizabeth Hasselback's comments about @ErinAndrewsESPN," Nash tweeted. "Insensitive, in poor taste and remedial and foolish."

Don't forget teary!

Hasselbeck readdressed the issue on this morning's View, where she not only turned on the waterworks, but somehow found a way to make it all about herself.

"I went home and wasn't feeling that great about it, and I went home and I'm sitting with Grace, my 5-year-old, and she said, 'Mommy, why do you look so sad?' And I said, 'Well, Grace, today Mommy hurt someone's feelings," she said, tearing up.

"Yesterday when we were talking about Erin, even though I'm focused on the detestable human being who's behind bars thankfully, who's really made her life a living hell, I ended up hurting her…I told her and I promised her I would use my words more mindfully like I try to do to build people up and not break them down."

At the end of her emotional story, she said that, at her daughter's prompting, she phoned Andrews up and offered an apology.

"I'm really sorry and I wanted to offer that publicly, too. I'm sorry to get emotional about it, I don't like to hurt somebody."

And to think, all these years she's had us so fooled!

Poll

Daily 10 Battle of the Blondes Poll

Should Erin forgive Elisabeth for slamming her outfit?
Yes
39%
No
61%