Things got so heated between Bill O'Reilly, Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg on "The View" that the co-hosts walked off the set of the show.

The incident occurred during a fiery exchange about the proposed Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero. O'Reilly said President Obama's qualified support of the center was evidence of the "gulf" between him and the American people. Goldberg and Behar objected strongly to O'Reilly's claim.

"This is America!" Behar said.

"Listen to me because you'll learn!" O'Reilly interrupted her, to gasps from the audience.

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Goldberg asked if O'Reilly was saying that Americans were not smart enough to agree with Obama's position.

"We're Americans! We agree with him!" Behar added.

"70% of Americans don't want that mosque there. So don't give me the we business!" O'Reilly replied.

More heated crosstalk followed, until O'Reilly said, "Muslims killed us on 9/11!" That really set Behar and Goldberg off.

"Oh my God!" Behar said.

"That is such bullshit!" Goldberg said. "Extremists did that!"

Behar then stood up, saying, "I don't want to sit here now. I don't! I'm outraged by that statement."

She and Goldberg proceeded to walk off the set to loud applause. After it died down, Walters cut in, admonishing her co-hosts.

"You have just seen what should not happen," Walters said. "We should be able to have discussions without washing our hands, and screaming, and walking offstage."

Walters also criticized O'Reilly for his statements about Muslims.

"You cannot take a whole religion and demean them because of what some [did]," she told him.

Behar and Goldberg returned to the set following a commercial break. O'Reilly also apologized for his comments, saying, "If anyone felt that I was demeaning all Muslims, I apologize."

Last December, Goldberg almost walked off the set after proclaiming she was "bored out of my gourd" with a segment on Tiger Woods.