Rosie O'Donnell announced on social media this week that she has self-deported to Ireland, leaving the United States, in light of President Trump's second term. "I was never someone who thought I would move to another country, that’s what I decided would be the best for myself and my 12-year-old child. And here we are," she said. "You know, I’m happy. Clay is happy. I miss my other kids. I miss my friends...I miss many things about life there at home and I’m trying to find a home here in this beautiful country and when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that’s when we will consider coming back." All citizens do have equal right in the United States, of course, arguably more so than at any time in our entire history. In truth, I suspect it's not really about imagined assaults on other people's rights, but rather her own personal and political issues, as she partially admitted.
"Protect your sanity," she warned in her video, conceding that "it's been heartbreaking to see what’s happening politically and hard for me personally as well. The personal is political, as we all know.” She also said she's exploring gaining citizenship in Ireland -- one of the world's whitest countries, featuring widespread anti-Semitism. Here's the former celebrity, in her own words:
NEW: Rosie O’Donnell confirms she has fled the United States for Ireland following the election of Donald Trump.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 11, 2025
The 62-year-old says she left and dragged her 12-year-old daughter with her because not all Americans have equal rights now.
"I was never someone who thought I would… pic.twitter.com/NyzXwHHnQI
Three quick points on this silly, minor story:
(1) Important context here, especially for the younger crowd, is that Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump had a very nasty public feud in the early 2000's, back when she had a much bigger platform and quite a bit more cultural relevance. They attacked each other, frequently, in extremely personal terms. I vividly remember watching this barrage of insults from Trump during a single 2006 interview:
He unleashed a verbal fusillade on “Entertainment Tonight,” calling Ms. O’Donnell “disgusting” and “a slob” with “a fat, ugly face.” He said he wanted to take her to court so he could “take some money out of her fat-ass pockets” and wondered aloud why anyone would choose to be in a romantic relationship with her. “We’re all a little chubby, but Rosie is just worse than most of us,” he said. “But it’s not the chubbiness. Rosie is a very unattractive person, both inside and out.”
Almost a decade later, Trump invoked O'Donnell's name in his very first Republican presidential debate appearance, which drew a staggeringly large audience. Who could forget this moment? (The quotes he was confronted with, by the way, were not all about O'Donnell, but this half-joking comeback set the whole race on a surreal, memorable and historic trajectory):
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Trump went on to assail Megyn Kelly during that campaign, but those two have certainly patched things up since, unlike Trump and Rosie.
(2) I hadn't heard anything about Rosie O'Donnell, or had even a passing thought about her, in years. With this pronouncement, she's back in the limelight, if only briefly. So, congrats?
(3) As I said on Fox & Friends on this subject, I actually appreciate a celebrity-type actually following through on threats to leave America based on undesired political outcomes. As long as I've been following politics, there have always been Hollywood types who declare that if a Republican wins an election, they're packing up and shipping out. It's always hollow bluster. This country made these people fabulously rich and famous. They live extremely pampered lives in the United States. So when things don't go their way politically, they grumble and "resist," but they stay. Rosie O'Donnell followed through. I find it bizarre, and even a little bit sad, but at least she did the thing. In that narrow sense, kudos:
In which I…praise Rosie O’Donnell, upon her departure from America. Sort of: pic.twitter.com/KtRxLLHHav
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) March 12, 2025
I'll leave you with this:
😂 REPORTER: "Ireland is known for very happy, fun loving people ... Why in the world would you let Rosie O'Donnell move to Ireland!?"@POTUS: "Did you know you have Rosie O'Donnell? Do you know who she is?"@POTUS: "You're better off not knowing." pic.twitter.com/eeyPnguivF
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 12, 2025
