Elisabeth Hasselbeck calls President Barack Obama an 'incredibly cool guy', says she supports gay marriage

08/25/2010 by Corinne Heller

Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who is considered the conservative co-host among her peers on the ABC morning talk show The View, has called President Barack Obama, who appeared on the program last month, "an incredibly cool guy" and has also said that she supports gay marriage.

Obama appeared on The View on July 29. He revealed to viewers that he had Jay-Z and Frank Sinatra songs on his iPod but none by teen pop singer Justin Bieber.

He also said he had never heard of Nicole Polizzi, aka "Snooki" from MTV series Jersey Shore, a comment the 22-year-old reality star called a lie.

"The president is an incredibly cool guy," Hasselbeck, 33, told Fancast.com recently. "We were able to go backstage with him in our Green Room and talk about how everything seemed pretty orderly with him there and how comfortable everyone was. And there was definitely a moment - I mean, he and I looked at each other, and I remember him answering my question and I could see the intensity in his eyes."

"He wasnt just answering me, he was sending through me a message to the American people that felt special," she said. "Now in terms of my prep, I prepared. I mean, I dont know how you dont prepare for the president coming to your office and you having the ability to ask him two or three questions. I went and got a manicure and pedicure right beforehand to relax!"

Hasselbeck, who once competed on the CBS reality show Survivor, earlier this month said she supported gay marriage but was still torn on the issue of abortion laws.

"I think the gay marriage thing would definitely surprise people," she told Fancast.com. "I mean, for some people, it will surprise them to the point that they wont want to hear it. 'No, that cant be, I really want to have this sort of idea of her in my head,' so I sort of rain on their parade there."

Hasselbeck made headlines in May when she criticized ESPN reporter Erin Andrews, who was once stalked by a man who filmed her naked in a hotel room, for wearing skimpy outfits on Dancing With the Stars. Hasselbeck later apologized on The View.