Rosie ODonnell used her guest-hosting stint on ABCs Jimmy Kimmel Live less as a late-night comedy showcase and more as a vehicle for relitigating her long-running feud with President Donald Trump, while weaving in progressive talking points about gender identity and her self-imposed exile to Ireland.
According to Breitbart, the former co-host of The View opened the show by warning the audience that her presence alone would inflame Trump, declaring, If you thought the president hated Jimmy Kimmel Live! when it was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel? Buckle up, people! Buckle up. The crowd roared as ODonnell leaned into her role as a resistance-era mascot, signaling that the nights humor would be driven less by wit than by hostility toward the sitting president and the conservative agenda he represents.
ODonnell quickly pivoted to her oft-repeated story of fleeing the United States after Trumps election, boasting, Ive been living in Ireland for the past two years because of Mango Mussolini. I read that Project 2025 and said, Gotta get myself out of here! and I decided to go to Ireland where people are driven to drink regardless of whos running their country, before staring into the camera to add, Hi! I know youre watching! The line underscored how deeply she has personalized her political animus, turning serious policy debates into punchlines about self-deportation and alcohol.
Roughly a third of the way through her 15-minute monologue, ODonnell shifted to a story about her child, whom she repeatedly identified with they/them pronouns, and their sixth-grade classmates. She recounted, I decided to move, and I took my little then 11-year-old kid with me, and I just said, whatever you do, dont tell anyone because we dont want a lot of press and a lot of paparazzi. So, please dont tell anyone. And theyre a pretty smart kid. You know, they got it, emphasizing her embrace of contemporary gender ideology even in casual family anecdotes.
According to ODonnell, her child promptly ignored the request for privacy and turned the move into a melodramatic classroom announcement. They said, dont worry, I wont, and then went to school and proceeded to tell their entire class. Im very sorry I wont be able to graduate sixth grade with you. Im being forced to move to another country because the president of the United States hates my mother. But in all fairness, I believe my mother hates him more, she said, turning a childs schooling into another vehicle for attacking Trump.
The comedian then veered into a lengthy tale about misreading a social interaction with her pharmacist as romantic interest, only to discover the woman was married. The story culminated in a pub, where ODonnell said, Then Im in a pub with some friends, and the bartender comes over, and he goes, heres a pint for you from the woman in the snug, a little tiny, you know, little area to sit. And all I see is the top of her Joan Lunden hair. Im like, I cant be a rude American. I have to go over and thank her, adding, I say, hi, Joan.
The exchange quickly grew more awkward as ODonnell met the womans husband, with the comic recalling, Hes like, hello, rosie. How are you darling? and her reply, Im well. How are you? The husband then introduced himselfIm nice. Just like to introduce you to my husband, Kevin. / And Kevin goes, hello, Rosie ODonnell!prompting ODonnell to confess, I wanted to die. I wanted to die, before adding, And then he goes, by the way, rosie, shes just got short hair. Shes not a lesbian.
ODonnell closed her monologue by circling back to the same target she opened with, again centering Trump as the punchline. And you know, right now hes in the White House crying because I havent mentioned him, she quipped, a line that inadvertently highlighted how much of her public persona and political commentary remains tethered to the president she claims to have fled, even as his second administration advances an agenda focused on secure borders, economic growth, and restoring common sense over Hollywood theatrics.
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