The veteran newswoman speaks out on "The View" feuds!

BARBARA WALTERS tells OPRAH WINFREY she knew STAR JONES had gastric bypass surgery, but that she lied to keep it a secret because Star didn't want to talk about it.

"She decided to have a gastric bypass operation, but then she decided not to tell anybody," Barbara says on today's Oprah show. "Then we had to lie on the set everyday because she said it was portion control and pilates. Well, we knew it wasn't portion control and pilates."

"We in the audience knew too," Oprah says with a laugh. "We in the audience go, that's some damn pilates teacher!"

Star further distanced herself from viewers with her lavish wedding and later created a stir when she announced her departure live on "The View." The unrehearsed announcement threw the show into a state of shock and Star was asked not to return.

Moving forward, Barbara went from one controversy to the next with ROSIE O'DONNELL, who had a war of words with the likes of DONALD TRUMP and a live face off with co-host ELISABETH HASSELBECK!

During the on-air spat, "I'm home," she relates, "saying go to commercial, go to commercial!"

But the cameras stayed on and following a long weekend, Rosie decided not to return.

Still, Barbara doesn't regret the experience, saying they had a wild ride and adding that she respects Rosie tremendously.