'I Feel Re-Famous': Rosie O'Donnell on Her Return to New York

Summary

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On with Kara Swisher: “I Feel Re-Famous”—Rosie O’Donnell on Her Return to New York

Date: August 3, 2026
Host: Kara Swisher
Guest: Rosie O’Donnell
Podcast: On with Kara Swisher, Vox Media

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Episode Overview

This episode features comedic icon and activist Rosie O’Donnell discussing her one-woman play Common Knowledge, her recent move to Ireland, evolving perspectives on fame, motherhood, grief, gender identity, and her very public feud with Donald Trump. Swisher and O’Donnell exchange candid reflections on identity, political urgency, the cost (and necessity) of celebrity activism, and what it means to live and create authentically in an era of transformation and anxiety.

Megan Rapinoe joins with a listener question about standing up to Trump and advice for Democrats heading towards the elections.

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Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Returning to New York, Fame, and Nostalgia

[04:13–06:05]

• Rosie shares that after her time in Ireland, coming back to New York felt nostalgic and revitalizing:
  • “People now, when I’m getting in a cab, stop their car and scream out the window. I’m like, what is this, 30 years ago? Like, I feel refamous.” (Rosie, 05:27)
• She attributes this renewed attention to an American hunger for nostalgia and for bold voices willing to speak out politically.

2. Common Knowledge: Grief, Family, and Ireland

[06:05–11:07]

• The play draws from Rosie’s grief over losing her mother before age 11, which she describes as “the defining emotional moment of your life.” (Rosie, 07:10)
• Kara relates, referencing her own loss of her father at age 5. They discuss how unending grief shapes highly functional adults and creates lasting bonds of understanding.
• Living in Ireland, Rosie felt closer than ever to her mother via the faces and culture of older Irish women.
• Rosie moved to Ireland partly to escape the persistent “Trump noise” in her life:
  • “It was noise in my head…for 20 years. And when I got there [Ireland], I found peace in a way.” (Rosie, 08:24)
• The Irish attitude toward fame is markedly different—“in Ireland, people just see me as an individual, not as a celebrity… it’s not a fame culture.” (Rosie, 08:47)

3. Making the Move for Family and Safety

[09:37–12:41]

• Rosie felt compelled to move her neurodiverse, nonbinary child to a safer, more inclusive environment after reading Project 2025’s right-wing proposals.
• Friends and family doubted she’d truly leave, but Rosie stands by her decision, especially as a protective parent.
• Irish public schools’ inclusivity surprised her:
  • “The public school in Ireland…is a better environment…and has been unbelievably beneficial for her.” (Rosie, 11:07)

4. Parenting, Autism, and Honesty

[12:41–16:48]

• Rosie discusses navigating both neurodiversity and gender identity, openly sharing her child’s pronouns and journey.
• Her child was diagnosed with hyperlexia, leading to “college-level” vocabulary in third grade and complex challenges.
• On never lying or stigmatizing, Rosie says:
  • “You have two choices in every big decision. You’re going to be afraid. Or are you going to have faith that we’re going to figure it out?” (Rosie, 13:35)
• Honest storytelling in her art led to negotiation with her child about being part of the play, reflecting generational shifts in boundaries (“Sharrant” = sharing parent).
• “Clay, this show is a love letter to you.” (Rosie, 16:41)

5. Coming Out, LGBTQ+ Visibility, and Changing Eras

[17:31–21:19]

• The hosts reminisce about meeting during Rosie’s Grease days and the tension around “coming out” in earlier decades.
• Rosie reveals her complicated dance around being an out performer, recounts advice from Chastity (now Chaz) Bono, and the pre-Ellen, pre-Will & Grace world.
• “When I did come out…people were shocked. I was shocked.” (Rosie, 20:12)
• Both discuss the relief and happiness of public authenticity, even as the culture has lagged for some stars:
  • “I never thought…you could be an out lesbian performer and still work in Hollywood.” (Rosie, 18:23)

6. Trump, Political Outspokenness, and the Cost of Criticism

[25:01–36:07]

• Rosie’s long-running feud with Trump is examined—she was among the first public figures to call him out as a “grifter” and “logo slapper,” not a self-made man:
  • “I saw him for who he was…a used car salesman, a snake oil salesman. And I said it, and he went absolutely batshit crazy.” (Rosie, 25:42)
• She feels a responsibility to speak out, never regretting her criticism, despite online and rare in-person harassment.
• On receiving gratitude from strangers: “No one has, like, people don’t stop me and go, ‘I love Trump.’ People stop me and say, ‘thank you.’” (Rosie, 29:43)
• The conversation critiques America’s billionaire culture, referencing Jeff Bezos as an emblem of “gross excess” and how obsession with money has replaced balance and happiness.

7. Restoring Political Balance and the Role of Media

[32:22–37:16]

• Both lament corporate media’s failures, the weakening of America’s “fourth estate,” and the need for independent journalism.
• Trump’s declining popularity is attributed to war, the economy, and his perceived fatigue; Rosie warns against complacency and urges welcoming back (some) former Trump supporters:
  • “If we don’t forgive some of them, we’ll never be the country we once were.” (Rosie, 34:14)
• On Michael Cohen, Rosie shares a personal arc of forgiveness—and a final decision to cut ties after his return to Trump.

8. The Urgency of Celebrity Activism

[36:07–37:41]

• Responding to Jennifer Lawrence’s stance on celebrity impotence in politics, Rosie maintains stars have a duty:
  • “Anyone with a public platform needs to speak out if they believe in the United States of America.” (Rosie, 36:34)

9. Advice for Democrats & Handling Trump—Megan Rapinoe’s Question

[39:32–45:09]

• Rapinoe asks: What can Democrats learn from a lesbian, and how will Rosie handle Trump on Kimmel?
• Rosie plans to use comedy for political critique, continuing Kimmel’s tradition:
  • “I plan on doing what Jimmy Kimmel has done so beautifully—which is giving it to [Trump] in a comedic, honest, truthful way.” (Rosie, 40:03)
• She’s barred from doing a specific “If He Only Had a Brain” Trump parody due to content restrictions, revealing shifting boundaries on political comedy.
• Advice to Democrats: “Stand up to him at every turn, not meekly, strongly. Come at him with the force he comes at you. And stay intellectually superior, because that’s not too difficult with him.” (Rosie, 44:15)

10. Aging, GLP-1s, and Feminist Choices

[46:30–50:52]

• Rosie speaks frankly about losing weight with GLP-1 medications, facial surgery, and navigating both public and private stigma:
  • “Being a feminist means you get to make your own decisions on what makes you happy…that’s really what I believe feminism is about.” (Rosie, 49:35)
• She encourages transparency and criticizes celebrities who hide their use of weight-loss drugs.

11. Parenting in Later Life: Wisdom and Patience

[54:43–56:24]

• Parenting in her 60s, especially of a neurodiverse child, is more patient and connected:
  • “An autistic child forces me to have a patience level I didn’t have when my other kids were little.” (Rosie, 55:03)
• She admits to having tried to “flatten the bumps in the road” for older children and is learning to value connection above control.

12. Hopes for Her Next Act & America’s

[56:42–58:31]

• Rosie feels energized, with a new confidence, and hopes to work on daytime TV again, but family will remain her priority. She rules out running for office, citing focus on mental health.
• For the country:
  • “That we can restore ourselves to what the founding fathers originally intended and that we can stop the corruption and the…misogyny and the racism that permeates this land.” (Rosie, 58:31)

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Notable Quotes

• “People now…stop their car and scream out the window. I’m like, what is this, 30 years ago? Like, I feel refamous.” (Rosie, 05:27)
• “You have two choices in every big decision. You’re going to be afraid. Or are you going to have faith that we’re going to figure it out?” (Rosie, 13:35)
• “Anyone with a public platform needs to speak out if they believe in the United States of America.” (Rosie, 36:34)
• “Stand up to him at every turn, not meekly, strongly. Come at him with the force he comes at you.” (Rosie, 44:15)
• “Being a feminist means you get to make your own decisions on what makes you happy…” (Rosie, 49:35)
• “Parenting never ends. And I didn’t realize that.” (Rosie, 55:58)
• “If we don’t forgive some of them, we’ll never be the country we once were.” (Rosie, 34:14)

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Memorable Moments & Humor

• Rosie’s playful “Hello, Donnie” song for Trump, reprised at both the beginning and end.
• Stories of her child’s T-shirts: “ew, people,” emblematic of candid parenting.
• Swisher and O’Donnell riffing on lesbian parenting and the strengths it produces in all children.
• Rosie on cosmetic surgery: “My daughter…said, ‘I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to look at you the same way if you do it.’ And that one really stopped me…but being a feminist means you get to make your own decisions.”

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Highlighted Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------| | 04:13 | Rosie’s “re-famous” experience and New York nostalgia | | 06:05 | On grief, her mother’s death, and writing Common Knowledge | | 08:16 | Moving to Ireland for peace & escape from “Trump noise” | | 13:16 | Raising a neurodiverse, nonbinary child | | 20:12 | Coming out, living as an out performer | | 25:42 | The origins of the Trump feud – exposing his “brand” | | 29:43 | Public response: “thank you” vs. Trump supporters | | 34:10 | Forgiveness and Michael Cohen’s “return to Trump” | | 36:34 | The duty of celebrities to speak up in dark times | | 40:03 | “If He Only Had a Brain” parody and Kimmel hosting | | 44:15 | Advice to Democrats: forceful opposition & intellect | | 46:30 | “Hello Donny” song and plans to lampoon Trump | | 49:35 | On feminism and making personal, authentic choices | | 55:03 | Parenting in one’s 60s with greater patience | | 58:31 | Rosie’s hope for America’s next chapter |

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Conclusion

Rosie O’Donnell’s conversational candor, her tireless activism, and dedication to family and truth-telling shine through in this deeply personal (yet broadly resonant) episode. Swisher’s incisive questions frame Rosie’s return to the spotlight as both a product of nostalgia and as an urgent contemporary voice—reminding listeners why “difficult questions” and fearless humor matter more than ever.

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End of summary

Transcript

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Hello, Donnie, know you're watching. Donnie, it's me, Rosie, showing up on abc. I want to do like a little love song like you got a crush. Donnie, it's too much. I hear you're leaving Melania for me.

[Kara Swisher]

Hi everyone. From New York magazine and the Vox Media podcast podcast network, this is on with Kara Swisher. And I'm Kara Swisher. My guest today is the one and only Rosie o'. Donnell. She's staging a limited run of her one woman play in New York right now. It's called Common Knowledge and it's a deeply personal look at her recent move to Ireland, the challenges of parenting and the death of her mother just before she turned 11 years old. Of course, the show also touches on a decades long feud with President Donald Trump. Rosie was one of the very first people to challenge his image as a self made billionaire back in 2006 when she was co host of the. She hasn't stopped since and I don't expect her to pull any punches when she guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel tonight later this month. But Rosie is a lot more than just a critic of Trump. She's won 11 Emmy Awards and one Tony Award. Her career spans comedy, daytime television, film and advocacy as well as theater. And she's never been afraid to say what she really thinks, even when it comes at a personal cost. And she's also had a lot of personal issues throughout her life that she talks about a lot. I think she's a really interesting character and she's morphed and changed over the years. But one of the things she is is often right about people like Donald Trump and she's willing to go out on a limb to talk about it. All right, let's get to my conversation with Rosie o'. Donnell. Our expert question comes from retired soccer star, podcast host and activist Megan Rapinoe. Rosie is a legend. You won't want to miss our conversation, so stick around. Support for this show comes from Odoo. Running a business takes everything you've got. And a lot of the tools out there that are supposed to make your life easier just aren't great at talking to other. And that means you end up having to toggle between a dozen different apps and services just to keep the lights on. Enough of that. Now there's Odoo, the all in one fully integrated platform that actually might help you get it all done. Thousands of businesses have made the switch, so why not you try Odoo for [e-mail] that's o d o o.com.

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It is on.

[Kara Swisher]

Rosie, thanks for coming on on.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

My pleasure. Thank you for having me.

[Kara Swisher]

I'm so thrilled you're here in person.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Well, it was very far downtown.

[Kara Swisher]

I was like, I know it's far down, but it's nice. You can come visit. You can go see the stock exchange.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Exactly.

[Kara Swisher]

If you feel like that. Stuff like that on the Staten island ferry. If you feel like it.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

You have to be the very tip of New York.

[Kara Swisher]

The very tip of New York. Anyway, welcome back to the US after moving to Dublin earlier this year, you sort of did an opposite Statue of Liberty thing and went the other direction.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Right.

[Kara Swisher]

I'm just curious, what's the first stop you wanted to make when you got back to New York other than seeing your kids and your new grandson? Congratulations, bud.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

You know, I wanted to see Broadway. I mean, that's really my love of New York is, you know, wrapped up in that. I've been to see so many shows since I got here a couple weeks ago and I've seen Jellico Ball three times.

[Kara Swisher]

I took my kids to it this weekend.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Wasn't it unbelievable?

[Kara Swisher]

Unbelievable.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

And it's a lesson in gay history and ballroom and perseverance and minority presence in the world.

[Kara Swisher]

And it works for cats.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

And it works.

[Kara Swisher]

Finally, cats work right.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Because cats was just poems without a book.

[Kara Swisher]

It also was a little annoying.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

It was a little annoying. Redundant. Right. When they went on you in the audience and, like, licked you, it was like, this is very immersive in 1980. But.

[Kara Swisher]

And so you. Theater. Theater is where you go first.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Theater is where I go first. And then, you know, my old haunts, like Joe Allen's and, you know, Nobu and theater. And, you know, I mean, that's what New York is to me, and I really love it. And the people have been, you know, so great. You know, people now, when I'm getting in a cab, stop their car and scream out the window. I'm like, right? I'm like, what is this, 30 years ago? Like, I feel refamous. It feels like I left when I did in 2002. And then I moved to Ireland, and with the help of Mango, Mussolini have become refamous. And I just find it very interesting. I think people really want nostalgia. They want people with their voices and power to stand up to what's happening in our country. And they really respect you, as I'm sure you get all the time for doing it.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. So let's talk about common knowledge. Cause it's a lot about that. It's about Mango Muslims. We'll get to him. We're gonna talk about him. Which is why you're back. It's an autobiographical show about your move to Ireland, but it's also about parenting, motherhood, losing your mom before you turn 11. I lost my dad when I was 5, so I completely relate. No matter what age you lose a parent is a tough thing, but when you're very young, it's sort of a loss that is forever, and you become highly functional. Talk about how grief sometimes surprises you. Cause I think that was a lovely part of that show.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

You know, the beginning of the show was written when I was in Ireland because I kept seeing women in their 90s who looked like my mother's face. Like, my mother was very Irish, 100% Irish. And she looked like a lot of these older women that I see. And I started thinking, God, this is what it would have been like to have my mother now. And, you know, in America, I didn't see a lot of people that looked like her, but in Ireland, I saw many. And I started writing about the day she died.

[Kara Swisher]

Yes. The last time you spoke to her

[Rosie O'Donnell]

and the last time she spoke to me is the end. The beginning is the day she died and what happened as a result. And, you know, that's a grief that doesn't end, as you were saying. And I remember Nora Ephron used to say to Me, is that the defining emotional moment of your life? And I'm like, it is. Yes, it is. It doesn't go away.

[Kara Swisher]

Never.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

You know, and she had two parents who were very successful and she never experienced that. So I think people who haven't, it's hard for them. And when people like you tell me their story, I think right away, oh, I get them, they get me.

[Kara Swisher]

Well, it's not a day goes by.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Correct.

[Kara Swisher]

Someone explained it to me. About half the people in your life died one day. That's the same kind of impact. It's all about omission, what you missed, right. And everything else. And I thought you effectively talked about that and was being an islander, is that you thought of her more because you've been trying to make it for a decade, right, as you said, and you couldn't do it until now. What about moving to Ireland unlocked it. Was it just seeing people like that or taking you out of this country to find an emotional place?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

It was taking out of the country and take out of the presence of all the problems that are occurring now and have been since he's been on the scene. It was noise in my head. You know, I'm on Munjaro and have been for three years and all people talk about the food noise. Well, I had some Trump noise for a long time, for 20 years. And every time I thought, okay, it's gonna die down now, it would be kicked back up by him, you know, and it felt like too much. And when I got there, I found peace in a way. And the welcome from the people was shocking and startling and I was very moved by their acceptance. People would see me and say, you're welcome home, you're welcome here, Rosie. Glad to have you in Ireland. Nobody would say, could I have your autograph? Could I have a picture? Everyone was just seeing me as an individual, not as a celebrity. And it's not a fame culture. There's a people don't really care. And I tell the story in the show about a couple, they knew who I was. We were at the beer garden and our kids were playing and we had like a two hour dinner. And right as I was leaving, they said, by the way, Rosie, we're big fans. And I said, oh, you didn't want to bring it up till right now when I'm leaving? And they said, well, surely it's not the most important thing now, is it? And I thought, oh, my God, if that isn't a line that defines my being here.

[Kara Swisher]

Talk a little bit about the move To Ireland. Because one of the things you said also was a lot of celebrities threaten, you know, or public people, I'm gonna

[Rosie O'Donnell]

leave this country if this happens.

[Kara Swisher]

If this happens. You did it.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yeah. It came when I read Project 2025, and I couldn't believe that everyone didn't read it. And when I realized that they were bold enough to print what their intentions were, I knew it was time to leave. I really felt very threatened as the mother of an autistic child, as the mother of a non binary child. And as a. I thought this is fascism, pure and simple. And, you know, I never, ever even like to travel. I like being around my kids. I like being around my family. I'm not a big traveler, you know, and so the concept that I would move my friends and family didn't even believe me.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, they didn't believe that you would do it?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

No. I told my siblings, and they were like, my brother Eddie's like, there's no way you're gonna go to Ireland. You wouldn't go to the Bahamas. You know, And I was like, well. And I. And I felt I had to. There was no decision to make once I read that, I was like, we have to go if he gets in.

[Kara Swisher]

So you said, had you stayed, you'd have immersed in another Trump administration. You also didn't think he was gonna win, but you would have been able to emotionally be present for your teenage child. Clay, talk about that relationship. And what have you learned as a parent that maybe wasn't as obvious when you were in the States?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Well, I learned that the public school in Ireland, which is so inclusive of all different times of children, that that is a better environment than just surrounded by neurodivergent children for my child. Now, every kid with autism is different, but this public school has been unbelievably beneficial for her. Now, you know, the crossing guard told me that she.

[Kara Swisher]

This is. This. Explain the crossing guard. Her name is.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

This is a lollipop lady. Her name is Angela. And she knew every kid's name in. And she said to me, after a couple of days of me dropping her off and picking her up, she said, do you notice Rosie, she walks in front of you? I said, yeah, she likes to get home early, and she likes to get to the school early. No, she's embarrassed of you. And I was like, what the hell is this woman telling me? And, you know, sure enough, I said, well, I'm from New York. She's like, you're not in New York now, Rosie o' Donnell, or whoever you are. Because she didn't believe it was me.

[Kara Swisher]

That's right. You look like Rosie.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yeah. You look like. And, you know, so I took that to heart. I really did. And she started walking with her friends to school, which in LA is not even a possibility. And in New York, I would never allow. You know, I have fears in New York that I don't have in Ireland. It's one of the safest countries in Europe. And I just fell in love with our life there, the smallness of our life there, and the genuine interactions that I was able to have with people that I'm not always able to in the United States because of my notoriety.

[Kara Swisher]

Talk a little bit about. Talking about your daughter. Do you say daughter?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

No, she says they prefer child.

[Kara Swisher]

Child, Right. Child's autism.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yes.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Well, at 2 years old, I had her tested. Them. Tested. They go by they. Them. But it's very difficult. So you're going to see me struggle.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, I know.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Right. Okay.

[Kara Swisher]

I'm saying we're the same. We're close to the same age. We try our best.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

I know. But it's very hard. So I was kind of shocked when they said they had autism, even though I knew they did because they were so verbal. It was ridiculous how verbal they were at 10 months, able to form sentences.

[Kara Swisher]

That was fascinating. I didn't know about that. What you mentioned in the show, hyperlexia,

[Rosie O'Donnell]

that's what they have. Where their vocabulary is extraordinary. And at a college level in third grade, and, you know, it's disarming to see a little tiny child come up and conjugate all these verbs and multiples. Yeah.

[Kara Swisher]

Doobie Howser, you.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yeah, totally.

[Kara Swisher]

Right, Totally.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

And when they told me that they had autism, I panicked. And then I realized, faith or fear, you have two choices in every big decision. You're going to be afraid. Or are you going to have faith that we're going to figure it out? We're going to have faith. We're going to figure it out. You know, and I never lied to my kid. I definitely didn't want them to be ashamed. They're very proud. They wear shirts that say, this is what. What an autistic person looks like. Or they wear a shirt a lot that says ew, people, which I think is the funniest T shirt that they own.

[Kara Swisher]

That's a good artist.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Right. And, you know, it's challenging, but it's also quite beautiful and poignant and in ways that I never expected.

[Kara Swisher]

Did you consult them when you were doing the show? Cause I have one of my kids who calls me a sharrant. And so I stopped.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

Wow.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

That you share everything.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, Sharrant. Don't be a sharrant.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Oh, that's interesting.

[Kara Swisher]

The others are young. I have two little ones and two older ones and. Cause I always like to joke I'm a straight white man. I have a second family, essentially, and they all get along great. But one of my kids, I took it to heart, like, you know, not talking about him, or I am talking right now, but I thought he was right. It definitely stopped me. Did you talk to Slay about this?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

What's interesting is that the first four who are between 23 and 31, they didn't have any. Cause I was on TV, and that was my life. And as an artist, you mold the clay in front of you, so to speak. And that's what I was doing. So when I was on.

[Kara Swisher]

And before social media.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yes, before social media. So I wrote out the play, and we were flying home from Ireland for a visit or something, and I fell asleep, and I wake up and their arms are folded and they're looking at me, and they go, you think it's okay to tell stories about me in your show? I don't wanna be in your stupid show. And I said, well, you know what, honey? I can only write about my life. And for the last 13 years, my life has been about you and me. It's like she's an only child because the other ones are grown and out, and it's been a very different experience. And, you know, to not be partnered while you do it, too. It's just me and her. So she finally said she understood and it was okay for this, but that she doesn't know if she's giving me permission. In perpetu. Yeah. I said, okay, sweetheart, I get it.

[Kara Swisher]

The lawsuit is pending.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

But when I read it and rehearse in the house, I hear her from another room going, that's not true. I never said that. That is a blatant exaggeration, Mom. I was not used that word like so.

[Kara Swisher]

And you fix it.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

No, I don't. I leave it as it is because, you know, that's all I can do. But they're pretty good about giving me the space. You know, they are an artist and they draw really, really well. And I say, you know, when you sit down to draw, you draw what inspires you, right? When I sit down and write, I write what inspires me. And in many ways, Clay, this show is a love letter to you.

[Kara Swisher]

No, it's a very Touching. I can't imagine Clay wouldn't find it touching.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Oh, no interest in seeing it.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, really?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

No interest in.

[Kara Swisher]

And my kids don't listen to my podcast either.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

No, they will not watch a movie. In fact, my oldest boy, who just had a bab when he was about 18, he came home, he goes, I was at Joey's and there was this baseball movie on, and you were like a teenager, and you were talking like you were Sylvester Stallone and you were not very good. And I said, thank you, honey. That's my most famous movie. Yeah, it is. And you've never seen it, and you're 18.

[Kara Swisher]

You know, my kids do the same thing. Yeah, yeah. And especially when I interview someone big and then someone else interviews them, they're like, oh, I really like that. Interview that person. I'm like, you know, I did that three years ago. But they don't care.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

They don't care. Oh, they don't care. But it's better that they don't care.

[Kara Swisher]

Let me bring it to something you don't know, but we have met before.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yeah, I don't remember.

[Kara Swisher]

Of course you don't. It's okay. You were playing Rizzo in Grease. And you were in Washington, D.C. and I wrote the theater column. And you and I had. I did an interview with you a lot.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Person to person. In person.

[Kara Swisher]

To person. In person. I forget the hotel. It was probably the Four Seasons in Georgetown. I'm not sure where they put you. But you and I had an argument about coming out. Cause you were very aware I was gay, I think.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Well, I've been gay my whole life, so I can spot another gay person a mile away.

[Kara Swisher]

Yes, I can spot a gay.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yes.

[Kara Swisher]

But we had a very off the record disp. About coming out. And I was like, I think you should. And you were like, you can't. Because of Hollywood. We had a fascinating. Which I wish I had. I might have the tape to still to this day. But it was really interesting to me about what you reveal about yourself, because now you're very revelatory in this play and everything else.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Well, coming out officially that I did after 911 was revelatory in my life and growth. And I never thought growing up as somebody our age that you could be an out lesbian performer and still work in Hollywood and a pair. But when I became a parent, everyone in my life knew I was gay. Lois Smith, my publicist, used to walk between me and Kelly on the way into events so that nobody would think that I was with her. Like everyone was doing Their part, in fact, when I was doing Grease, Patrick Pachenko, I believe his name. Well, he did an interview with me for Helen Gurley Brown Cosmo and in. He asked me if I was dating anyone. And I said, no, I'm taking all resumes. And he said, would they be females or males that you would be looking for? I said, I'm open to all takers. And Helen Gurley Brown called Lois Smith, who was my elderly publicist who's no longer with us.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

She was a classic.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Classic. Marilyn Monroe's publicist.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, she was a classic. I remember.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yeah, she was something else. And Helen Gurley Brown and Lois decided to take that out of the interview. Not that I asked them to. You know, I lived my life as an out person. Everyone at my show knew I was gay.

[Kara Swisher]

Right. This was the argument we had. I said, that wasn't good enough.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

It wasn't enough. And you know who else had that conversation with me? Chastity Bono.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh, interesting.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yeah. Before the transition, she asked if I would do the same thing. And I was like, no way in hell I'm doing that. I mean, Ellen wasn't out.

[Kara Swisher]

No, I know.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Will and Grace wasn't on.

[Kara Swisher]

I know.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

You know, it was a time where I was too afraid to be, and I was afraid of losing everything, including my children.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. Yes. You know, I remember you saying that. I remember you saying it was a really hard time to do that.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

So when I did come out and people were shocked. Yeah, I was shocked.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

I'm like. They go, well, you said you like Tom Cruise. I said I wanted him to mow my lawn and bring me lemonade.

[Kara Swisher]

Right, right.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

You know, and. And there are men that I feel that way about. There's Sydney Harcourt in the Jellicle Ball who plays Rum Tum Tugger.

[Kara Swisher]

Rum Tum Tugger.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

He's a. Oh, my Lord. And he. When I was up there doing that, he gave me my face a caress. And I was like, oh, my God. You know, but I don't want them naked in my bed. Right, right. You know, I just love men in a different kind of way.

[Kara Swisher]

I hate to quote Roseanne Barr, but she did have the best jokes. I don't know why people think lesbians hate men. They don't have to sleep with them. See, I don't like to laugh at Roseanne Barr these days, but it's a great time.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

I know it's very sad what's happened to her.

[Kara Swisher]

The previous, the person formerly known as funny. Roseanne Barr.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yes.

[Kara Swisher]

Anyways, interesting conversation. I'm glad you did because I think it means a lot to young people especially.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Oh yeah, and my life was so much more fulfilling, easy and you know, chaos free.

[Kara Swisher]

And then you had a gay cruise.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

I mean, well then we went all the way gay, right? We cut the hair short. We did the whole thing.

[Kara Swisher]

You did. We'll be back in a minute. Support for this show comes from Framer. Framer is a complete website platform, not just a builder, so teams can launch and keep improving their sites in one place. Thousands of businesses from early stage startups to Fortune 500s are choosing to build their websites in Framer, where changes take minutes instead of days. Framer is a pro site builder for creators, teams and businesses that want a professional site and care enough to get every detail right. Agents solve the gap between AI generated ideas and production ready website work. The agent works in the same place where the real site is designed, managed, reviewed and published. It lands on the canvas, stays editable and can be published when the team is ready. Agents in Framer work alongside teams to streamline collaboration on the same canvas, build custom code components, create and manage CMS content, optimize SEO settings and ship every everything all in one place. Learn how you can get more out of your site from a Framer specialist or get started building for free [e-mail] Kara for 30% off a Framer Pro annual plan. That's framer.com Kara for 30% OFF framer.com Cara rules and restrictions may apply. Support for the show comes from Lisa. With two young kids in the house, sleep has not always been easy to come by in the past few years. But study after study has shown how important getting good sleep is for your health and well being. And good sleep often begins with a good mattress. Leesa mattresses are meticulously designed and assembled in the USA with specific sleep positions and feel preferences in mind. They all back it up with a free shipping, easy returns and 120 day sleep trial. I am about to get a mattress in my house in San Francisco and I'm very much looking forward because my mattress is very uncomfortable and I've heard great things about Leesa mattresses and and so I'm excited to try it. And Lisa isn't just about sleep, it's about impact. They're committed to eco friendly materials and sustainable manufacturing practices and partners with organizations like Clean Hub to help remove harmful plastic waste from the environment. Go to Lisa.com for 25% off select mattresses plus get an extra $50 off with promo code. Kara Exclusive to My listeners, that's L E-E-S A.com promo code Kara K A R S A for 25% off select mattresses plus an extra $50 off. And when you use our code, you're supporting our show. Lisa.com promo code Cara support for the show comes from Groons. Summer can disrupt our routines with busy weekends that are full of travel and events. And with everything going on, it can be hard to remember to stick to your wellness habits. While Groons is one of the wellness habit you don't have to think about, it can be the easiest, tastiest part of your busy schedule. Groons are a convenient, comprehensive formula in one delicious daily pack of gummy bears. This isn't a multivitamin, a greens gummy or a prebiotic. It's all of these things and then some at a fraction of the price. And it tastes great. They're able to pack in 20 vitamins and minerals in a daily pack with 60 ingredients, all of which include nutrient dense and whole foods. A Groon's pack also contains 6 grams of prebiotic fiber to help you visualize it. That's equivalent to more than 2 cups of broccoli. Gruin's ingredients are backed by over 35,000 research publications. You can't fit the amount of nutrients Groons does into one daily gummy, which is why it comes in a pack. Save 52% off with the code Cara at Grunes Co that's code Kara K A R A at G R U N S dot co

[Rosie O'Donnell]

let's talk about

[Kara Swisher]

politics because one of the. It's an important part of the show. I thought the most moving part is obviously about your family and you returning to Ireland. That was very beautiful.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

But.

[Kara Swisher]

But politics are there everywhere hanging over you. And just this week Trump attacked you. I don't know if you saw he did another attack of you on Truth Social.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

No, I didn't see that one, I'm sorry to say.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, it's not even a good one, actually. He brought you up in a very strange speech he gave at the White House correspondent.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Oh, yes, sorry.

[Kara Swisher]

I also that I saw.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Oh, there was another one.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, there's another one. People know you're an outspoken critic of Trump and people don't realize you've done it since 2006. But what do you want the audience to understand about how your public feud with the President affects your daily life? Cause you talked a little bit about in the show.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Well, you know, when I talked about him on the View, I told the truth. What every New Yorker my age knows about him, that he is not a self made man, that he got his father's money, that he is a grifter, that he is a logo slapper, that he's not, in fact, a builder, that, you know, his apprentice days were all fiction sold as fact and people believed them. Like, I saw him for who he was from the time I was a little kid, from the time I knew who he was, I was like, this guy's a joke. He's a used car salesman, He's a snake oil salesman. And I said it and he went absolutely batshit crazy.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, you were sort of the first that he really did.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yes, exactly. And I think it's because I'm from Comac, which is on Long island, and he's from Queens, which is part of Long Island. And I think I'm those girls that he didn't like in elementary school who were tough and maybe grew up to be gay, who would talk back to the idiot rich boys who thought they were funny, who were obnoxious and make fun of him and say, you're not playing with us, you're not playing kickball here. And I think that is what got him, that he thinks he has elevated himself from where he used to be to who he is now. And I am one of the peasants. And how dare a peasant from my community speak to me like that.

[Kara Swisher]

Right. Although I think it's a little more common. I think he actually thinks he's just still as low. He's still the person.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Oh, that's the point. He still feels that low. That's why he had to come after me, because it reminds him that I get his number and so does so many millions of people.

[Kara Swisher]

Right. And so when, in being a vocal critic of the Trump administration, you get a lot of harassment for it, and then you remain as outspoken as ever, talk about what compels you to keep speaking out. And if you feel. If you could have taken that back, I don't believe you would.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

No, I never would have taken it back.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

Right.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

I feel it's my responsibility to stand up for this country that has given me so much, that here I'm a young girl with a, you know.

[Kara Swisher]

Star search.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Exactly. I'm a young girl that came from nowhere and made, you know, this life for myself and these children. Only in this country could this happen. And I feel beholden to that. I feel responsible for that. I feel like it is my responsibility to give back, and this is what I feel is the best way that I can do that. Is by saying, please take note of this. Please remember this. Please know who we are as a nation.

[Kara Swisher]

Do you ever get the. Online harassment is rather large. I mean, now he has lots of targets, right? Like, as I said at the White House correspondent who went after Caitlin Collins, he goes after. It's off. It's always women. It's often women. Or men he perceives as weak in some fashion.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Or men he's afraid of. Like De Niro.

[Kara Swisher]

Yes. De Niro.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

I believe he's afraid of De Niro. I believe De Niro is everything he wishes he was.

[Kara Swisher]

Yes. Yeah, that's a good point. Yeah, he keeps going, too. What is the cost to you at this point?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Well, you know, I don't feel it's a cost to me. I feel that all the love and respect and admiration that I've received since being back in New York and all of the success of the show and then getting to do Kimmel is because of it. I don't think it's cost me. Now, I know I've heard a lot of people, including Ana Navarro, talking about how people come up to her and say things to her. No one has ever come up to me. Besides once in a CVS when I was with my kid, a maga guy wearing a maga and a maga, everything started sort of loudly yelling. And I said, I have a small child here who is autistic, and I think you better back up. And then we left and Clay said, why is that man so mad? And I said, he really likes the president. And she says, ugh, that bad guy. And I say, exactly right. He likes the bad guy. So he's full of bad stuff.

[Kara Swisher]

Right, Right. So only once.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

That's only once. So no one has, like, people don't stop me and go, I love Trump. People stop me and say, thank you.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

So I haven't experienced what Ana Navarro has experienced. Now, online is a different thing, but I have words that you can put to block, you know, and so I don't see a lot of them. If you go on my feed, you might be overwhelmed by, oh, my God, look at this. But when I watch it, I go, well, it's not that bad.

[Kara Swisher]

It's been clarifying for some people to see how being rich doesn't make you brave. I think when you're talking about these rich guys, and I've seen it for ages with these. The tech guys and. And Scott talks a lot about how they have fuck you money. In reality, it's made them more scared. They don't Say fuck you. Which is really interesting. When Jeff Bezos had that lavish wedding in Italy last year, you wrote about the gross excess of it all. Turn your stomach. I agree completely. What do you think has happened with these people? These are the current rich. Right. And you've mixed with lots of rich people.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yes. I think that people who only measure in money have lost the reason for living. And when I left my show, that was the reason. I had more than enough money to take care of myself and my children and the people in my life for the rest of my life. Should I spend it wisely and not go crazy? Right. And that's what I've done. And I'm in a good place. And I don't need to work. I love to work. I'm happy when I get to do a wonderful piece of art. But it was never my motivation now to say that I didn't want a better life than the one I had. That's the truth. I didn't want to have to be struggling and my mother cutting coupons and us wearing hand me downs and, you know, shopping at Corvettes. But the people who, who only measure in money and don't care about anyone else, I just think they're selfish idiots. And especially Bezos, what he does to his employees at Amazon. And then he has the balls to go have that indecent wedding. And all the people who showed up, I was like, oh, this is horrifying.

[Kara Swisher]

Right? Right. Yeah, absolutely. One of the things that's interesting is they think of themselves as victims. You do know that they talk as if they're the victims. And how dear I had many of them come up to me after my book was written. They said, you are so mean. I'm like, I'm not mean anymore.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

No.

[Kara Swisher]

And it turned out, as it turned out, it got worse and worse.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yes.

[Kara Swisher]

And this was pre standing in the front of the Trump inauguration. Why do you think they're doing that? Because having enough has not become a concept in America. It seems to have gotten out of control, like.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

But it certainly is a concept in Ireland. Yeah, it totally is. That you should spend your days happily working at something you like in order to take holidays. And that's what the Irish do. They take long holidays every year. Long Europe.

[Kara Swisher]

Right.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

It's beautiful. And it's a balance in life. I think we've lost the balance in America.

[Kara Swisher]

Capitalism with Trump as president.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Correct. Corporate ownership of everything, including our fourth estate, which is horrifying to see what has happened. And the fact that President Trump can berate A woman and the press corps just ask the next question. Why they don't ask the same question that Kaitlan Collins asked, why they. They don't stand up for each other, why they don't walk out together, why they don't. It boggles my mind. Well, because there's money to be made by the corporations that own it, that are not seeking the truth. And without the fourth estate, one of the pillars of our democracy, we're doomed.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, I would agree. Although there's a real surge in independent media at the same time.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

There sure is. And that's the only place to go for it, right?

[Kara Swisher]

Absolutely. And also, Trump's popularity is in the toilet right now, largely due to the war in Iran, is handling the economy. People are tired of his act, I

[Rosie O'Donnell]

think, and the fact that he's falling asleep, that he's very physically ill, that he doesn't look like he's long for this earth, that he shouldn't be the man in control of the nuclear codes, like, these are things that everyone around him knows, but America just goes floating.

[Kara Swisher]

His polls are proven to low 30s. This is the lowest of any president. And do you think his base is finally breaking in a meaningful way?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

And, yes, I think people are waking up. Yes, they are. And I think it's taken a very long time. And so many people have suffered and people have died because of him. Many people. And they're over the charade. He thinks this is a reality show. And I do blame Mark Burnett for teaching him that you tell a lie long enough on tv, it becomes the truth.

[Kara Swisher]

I think it was a natural for him.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Well, Roy Cohen taught him that.

[Kara Swisher]

Roy Cohen told him that. And I think he was born that way. But you talked a lot. The need to welcome people back who've realized they've been conned by Trump. I have said that, too. I get a lot of pushback.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Like, no, I do, too. I get people who write on the thing. I will never forgive them. I'm like, well, then we will never. The country that we once were.

[Kara Swisher]

Right. And I think the pain is deep for a lot of people. So how do you do that personally? You too? Because, you know, you get attacked online quite a lot, and I get attacked quite a lot. And I have to say, you have to let them back in. Or some of them. Not all of them.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Not all of them. But I'll tell you a recent one. You know Michael Cohen, who was the creator of many of the Rosie's, the fat, disgusting pervert stuff when he turned on Trump, and Trump was doing all kinds of things to him. I wrote him and said that, you know, I forgive you for what I know you did, and I want you to know that I'm proud of the stance that you're taking. And he wrote me and asked me to come visit him in prison, and I did. And I had a six hour visit with him, and we maintained, you know, a friendship over the phone or online. And now he's back with Trump and I blocked him and I will never speak to. I can't believe that this man had come to Jesus and understood his role in this horrific catastrophe that is Trump. And then he reconciled with him. And I was stunned. And it made me feel at that moment, oh, my God, these people are not to be trusted.

[Kara Swisher]

Right.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

And I don't want to live that way. When I see people on the Internet, on Instagram, saying, I voted for him three times and I'm really sorry and I didn't realize. And I always write, thank you and welcome back. That's what I write to them.

[Kara Swisher]

You're gonna keep doing that. What if Michael Cohen came to you and said, oh, I was wrong again.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

No way. It's like an alcoholic, you know, fool me once.

[Kara Swisher]

Right.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

You don't get to come back in. No. And Michael Cohen caused tremendous damage to me personally. So doing that was for me as well as for him. And then I think he basically spit in my face by doing that.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

Yeah.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

No, indeed.

[Kara Swisher]

Right, Right. New York Times interviewed Jennifer Lawrence late last year. They asked about speaking out versus now versus the first term. And she gave a very candid answer. She said, as we've learned, celebrities do not make a difference whatsoever on who people vote for. So then what am I doing? I'm just sharing my opinion on something that's gonna add fuel to the fire that's ripping this country apart. When you think about speaking up, how important is it to keep speaking up?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Very, very.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. Cause a lot of people are grappling with that.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

No.

[Kara Swisher]

And I think fairly grappling with that.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

Right.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

And I feel as though anyone with a public platform needs to speak out if they believe in the United States of America. And right now we're on the precipice of disaster, and he's trying to overthrow the election, and he's going to cause some kind of catastrophe and then say, they're off. And, you know, it's very clear. And we all have to be ready for this, because if that happens, we're doomed. We're doomed.

[Kara Swisher]

Unless we stop it. Correct.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Right. Unless we stop it. Stop him or he's no longer running.

[Kara Swisher]

So you're still nervous about. About that possibility because they say they're gonna do it. I always say when they say it, believe them.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Essentially, they say they're gonna do what

[Kara Swisher]

to stop the election.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

They talk about it, of course, and their actions and what they're doing. And it's, you know, to me it's quite obvious. That's another thing, like things to me that seem so obvious that I don't understand why they're not obvious to other people.

[Kara Swisher]

Right.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

It's taken me a long time to go. The way that you view the world is not the way everyone else views the world. It's taken me 64 years to do that set.

[Kara Swisher]

We'll be back in a minute.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

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[Kara Swisher]

When you think about Crocs, you think the classic clock. But did you know there's also a canvas clog, A vegan suede clog, A coastal inspired style. A style with studs, straps and lots of sass. Honestly, I could keep going with the surprises. You've got to see them for yourself because there is literally a style for every kind of girl. So do your thing and head to crocs.com or a store near you now. So every episode we get a question from an outside expert. Here's yours.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Okay.

[Kara Swisher]

Hi you two. It's Megan Rapinoe here, retired athlete and fellow podcaster hosts. Rosie, I am curious what you think, especially leading into the midterms, what the Democrats can learn from a lesbian first of all, but most importantly, how to handle Trump with repeated attacks and sort of a playbook. And also how you plan to deal with him in your guest host role on Jimmy Kimmel Live. So let me know.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

I love Megan Rapinoe. She's fantastic.

[Kara Swisher]

I got her just for you.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Thank you so much. That's really beautiful.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

I think that I plan on doing what Jimmy Kimmel has done so beautifully, which is giving it to him in a comedic, honest, truthful way. And I will do that as big as I can. Now, the song that I sang in my show, if He Only Had a Brain, I wanted to do that on Kimmel, but they just told me I can't.

[Kara Swisher]

Oh.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

That they couldn't get permission for the parody because it's political content. And I was like, well, that is absurd to me because we used to do parodies every day on my show.

[Kara Swisher]

Wait, I don't understand.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Well, I've been told I'm not allowed to do that now. I don't know. It's not Jimmy.

[Kara Swisher]

A bit of it here.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yes. His approval rate is 30. His diaper's always dirty. I think the guy's insane. Da da da da da da da he ain't no stable genius Got a teeny tiny penis and he doesn't have a brain. But it's a long song, and I got tremendous response at the show.

[Kara Swisher]

You did, you did.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

But I plan on doing whatever we can and working with the writers and his team and honoring just how brave and bold he has been. Yeah, he has been, and I admire him greatly. I've never been on his show, so this will be the first time as the guest host. And I'm thrilled that you have a full week. I have a full week, yes. And I'm thrilled that he asked me, and I hope I can follow just his way.

[Kara Swisher]

Can you leave us a preview of your guest, for example?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

No, no. I wanted to have Ms. Rachel, but she, I think is, you know, Mr. Rogers now for our contemporary time. And she's brilliant and brave and bold, and I admire her gr. And we are going to give away her doll, but she couldn't make it or they couldn't book it. I don't know exactly why, but they've asked me not to tell who the guests do.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

Right.

[Kara Swisher]

That's okay. That's okay.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

You know, but they're not political like that. It's not like I'm getting, you know, Jane Fonda and Dinero and all of the people like Mark Ruffalo, and we can all just Talk about the loathing of this man, you know, and what he's done to the country. That would be a good show. Maybe like the View. We can have the View.

[Kara Swisher]

You could do that. Yeah. Are you gonna go back on the View while you're here?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

They're for the summer, but you know, if when their 30th season happens next

[Kara Swisher]

year, they're bringing everyone in.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yeah, I would do that. And you know, I saw Whoopi, you know, we had like a kind of difficult time when we were both on the show together and. But you know, we're both grown ass women and I have tremendous respect and admire all that she's done. This egot again, an unlikely woman, only in America.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. What a great story she has.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Oh my God. You know, really beautiful. And I think she's doing a great job on that show. And you know, for me, talking politics is not the best use of my talent, but I feel the need to do it because comedy, you can do both. Comedy, you can do it through comedy.

[Kara Swisher]

But do you want to have another show?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

I would go back to daytime if they asked me because I really feel that those are my people, the mothers at home with their kids. And, you know, I would do that and. Cause Kelly Clarkson left and there seems to be a vacancy in some capacity.

[Kara Swisher]

Can I ask you a question? You just use an interesting term. If they asked me, you know, you don't have to be. You don't have to be weighted to be asked anymore in the new digital universe.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Well, that's so true. But, you know, to do one the way and the style that I would like to do it, I would like to do it on a streaming service or, you know, a network that we could have a live audience and still give away free things to the, you know, I would like to do it similar to what I've done. And I believe America really is craving nostalgia right now. They're craving an easier choice. And back then when I was on the show, you know, the Internet wasn't really around.

[Kara Swisher]

You've not thought of a podcast or a YouTube show?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

I tried a podcast, Tara, and it was very difficult for me because I didn't have somebody to talk to all the time besides someone I was interviewing, right. So in the morning, when they'd want me to tell a funny story, it would just be me. And I thought, this is not fun for me.

[Kara Swisher]

You like an audience. You like.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

I like an audience and I like people as staff around me. I like to get to know their stories. I, you know, I Like being in that environment.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. Yeah. So what is the advice? What would the advice for Democrats from.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

The advice for Democrats is stand up to him at every turn, not meekly, strongly. Come at him with the force he comes at you. And stay intellectually superior because that's not too difficult with him. Right. And just, you know, do some words with multiple syllables and he'll be lost. You know.

[Kara Swisher]

When do you stop, though? Cause Rahm Emanuel said to me, will you come at him really hard until the midterms? And then he's an older, old man who needs to go home. Like that's. He said, forget him after you win, after the midterms, if it's a huge success.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

We can't forget him because he's constantly doing evil, horrific, inhumane things to everyone, enriching himself in broad daylight. And I don't understand why Jimmy Carter had to sell his peanut farm. But these idiots are making billions of dollars and announcing it and no one is doing anything.

[Kara Swisher]

Right. Well, what's interesting is we real. There's nothing to be done.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Right. Well, that's the scariest part. And when he's out, there needs to be a whole new series of laws about never having this happen again. Right?

[Kara Swisher]

Absolutely. Let me ask you, are you worried that Trump, speaking of doing things, he'll obviously be watching you because he's riveted to you in some fashion. Will you think he will you worried about any fcc? They went after abc. They went after the View. They're continuing to go after the View. But are you worried about the fcc underwent coming after you on the show, for example, doing anything?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

What are they going to say that you can't say that. I mean, I want to do a car.

[Kara Swisher]

Who is a moron is saying those things?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Well, I don't listen to them. I don't pay any heed to them. I'm going to go like I want to sing a song the first night. Hello, Donnie. Know you're watching. Donnie, it's me, Rosie, showing up on abc. I want to do like a little love song like you. You got a crush, Donnie? It's too much. I hear you're leaving Melania for me. That's what I want to do.

[Kara Swisher]

I think you should sexualize the whole thing.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

That's what I'm saying. Make that. He's totally wanting of me, you know, you want to grab me, Donny. I want to stab thee, Donnie. I don't know. I have to make it up as I go, but I like it.

[Kara Swisher]

Well done.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

There you go.

[Kara Swisher]

Anyway, I Want to end on a positive, talking about aging, actually, and freedom that comes with it. Now that you're back in the spotlight, people are going to notice you look different. You've been very open about glp, which I think are the. I just did a show for CNN called Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever. And we had a whole show on GLP1s, because I was like, this is the groundbreaking technology.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

I agree.

[Kara Swisher]

Everyone's focused on AI. I'm like, GLP1s will change everything for all kinds of people. And to lose weight after you're diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is right. And that you gotta face it. Talk about the stigma and why it was important for you to talk about it. I really appreciated that you talked about both.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Well, I had to, you know.

[Kara Swisher]

Well, ye. What happened?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

No, I. No, I just.

[Kara Swisher]

Fasting.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

No, but that's what people say.

[Kara Swisher]

There's someone who is. I don't like, who has gotten really skinny and they're like, just fasting. I'm like, you need to stop.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yeah, it's just the shots. And don't lie to us.

[Kara Swisher]

Don't lie to us.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

And the people who do lie, there are some famous people who said, oh, I'm not on them. And then years later said, oh, by the way, I am. And I always judge them, too, to tell you the truth.

[Kara Swisher]

But talk about that.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yeah, Because I feel like it's such a lie to perpetrate on people, you know? So I had lost a lot, about £60. Go on. GLP1s on the lowest dose for a year. This was what my doctor recommended. Right. So I only go up very slowly. So I lose, like, about 15 to 25 pounds a year. So in the three years, I've lost 60 pounds and there was a lot of extra skin on my face, and I had lines here that they call marionette lines. And in Ireland, people would come up and go, what's the matter, Rosie? You're so sad. I'm like, no, it's just my face, you know? And so I started asking friends who had. I have many friends who have had facelifts, but some of them, you know, I didn't want to go that far. I just wanted really just this part. And so my friend Jenny Hutt told me about this doctor and she had hers and she looked fantastic. And I went and met with him and he was the first doctor that agreed to only do what I wanted. And before I went under, I said to him, mark, listen to me. I am never going to say, I wish you did more. And he said, you're the first person that said that.

[Kara Swisher]

Convinced of it. Many people do that.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Exactly.

[Kara Swisher]

If you could fix this, why not fix that?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Why not fix that?

[Kara Swisher]

You had talked about your daughter talking about the feminist part of it.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

My daughter was very upset. In fact, to this day, she doesn't really know that I did it because I went in January. I did it 10 days later. I went home, the bruising was gone, and they didn't notice because, you know, it was subtle. It was.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, it can be that way. My mom had one and pretended she didn't. And she had bruises in every. And then she goes, what are you talking about? And I was like, oh, my God.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yeah. How do you deny what's right in front of your eyes?

[Kara Swisher]

And I was like, why deny it? If you have it, you have it. Like, what's the difference?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

I admit it. And I wanted to tell people. And I also told them the truth. It's very expensive. And I tell them, my doctor, Mark Zimbler, if people want to know, it's. He's in New York. That's the guy who was able to do exactly what I said. And if you want a big, full facelift, go to the Kardashian guy. You know, pay $400,000 if that's what you want to do.

[Kara Swisher]

But you did know the feminist aspects of it.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Well, my daughter, my child. C.L. said to me, I can't believe that you went over to London to talk to doctors about surgery. Face surgery, plastic surgery. This is a rejection of everything that you. You say that you represent. I can't believe there are young girls who look up to you. What are they going to think when you do this? This is not the best performance for a lesbian or for a feminist. And then the biggest one was, I don't know if I'll ever be able to look at you the same way as if you do it. And that one really stopped me for a few months. That was like, last summer. And I was like, jesus, I better not do this. But then come January, when I was looking in the mirror going, lord Almighty, I look so old and so not fresh. I said, I have to do it. So being a feminist means you get to make your own decisions on what makes you happy and what you want to do. And that's really what I believe feminism is about.

[Kara Swisher]

Sort of like me in tattoos. I'm like, I'm doing it for me. It's not for me.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

I love my tattoos, too. And people say, why do you do that? I like It. I like the way it looks. I like this individuality that you get to adorn your body with, you know, ink of some artist that you love.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. So it makes you feel better.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

It made me feel better, and it made me feel not so sad.

[Kara Swisher]

The thing with GLP1s is that it's revolutionary. It's revolutionary.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

No, I think it's gonna help addiction in many, many areas because, you know, the food addiction is real and the noise that your brain hears when you are an obese person. And you like.

[Kara Swisher]

Same with drinking.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Well. Right. Every October, after Halloween until Christmas, my kids would hide their candy from me. And at night I would go search for it because I would know there was a Butterfinger somewhere in the house and I couldn't sleep.

[Kara Swisher]

There can't be a Butterfinger.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Right. And so, you know, it was very, very difficult for me to not overeat sugar. And this drug has changed my life. And whenever I see someone struggling with obesity, I wish I could convince the company that makes Mounjaro to let me do commercials, even though they don't need it, because everyone wants it. If they would drop the price for people, which they will, they have to.

[Kara Swisher]

Prices will be lower and lower.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

I hope so.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. It's something that they should do, which is this is, to me, something like the Trump administration should like. It would be. Healthcare costs would go down so considerably around it. So sort of a diabetic industrial complex along with food industrial complex.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yes, indeed.

[Kara Swisher]

The only thing I agree with RFK Jr in is the stuff in the food is really addictive.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Well. And you taste it when you go to Ireland, the food tastes different, the steaks taste different.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

Everything tastes different.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Everything tastes different.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. And see, you learn so much from your time away.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yes.

[Kara Swisher]

So I'm gonna finish up talking about that. So you moved to Ireland. You wanna move back to the United States. Correct.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

When? Because I miss my other children greatly. And I miss, you know, New York and my life here. And I think it's very important, as I get older, for Clay to be around her siblings, so that, you know, when I go, they'll have a strong connection, stronger than it is now. And so those are the reasons that I would move back. I would keep my house in Dublin, which I love, in Sandy Mount, a little village in the midst of a city. It's quite gorgeous.

[Kara Swisher]

Gorgeous. You live in a very nice area.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

I really do. And it's a beautiful house. It's by far the cheapest house I've ever lived in as an adult. And it's my favorite house and I feel very at home there.

[Kara Swisher]

One of the things, when you did an interview with your old co host of you, Nicole Wallace, who's wonderful, you said you don't really travel. You've performed this now in Australia and in Scotland and you told Nicole, you're stretching in your old age. Is this show going anywhere? Are you taking it?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Well, this was sort of a proof of concept, right? I wanted to see how it would work because in Ireland there were far more Irish parts of it. So we took some things out and added more family things for New York and I wanted to see if it would get the same response that it did over in Sydney and in Ireland. So we only did 12 shows just to see if Daryl Roth, who has the right to do it on Broadway, if she would want to next summer, I would be able to do that. So it's up to her. And it's up to, you know, what happens on Broadway and whether or not ticket prices.

[Kara Swisher]

It's just you.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

It's a cheap show. But the ticket prices were still high. I thought they were too high. I asked that they be lowered and they were like, well, this is the way that we have to do it for what? You know, I was like, my God. So if I could do like a little tucked away booth theater, you know, and have the ticket prices not be extraordinary, that would be.

[Kara Swisher]

Would you take it elsewhere in this country?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

I would like to. You know, I would like to at some point, but with my child it's hard to. You know, this summer has been a lot for them and they have a little bit of autistic burnout. You know, they want to get back home. They want to get back home. It's too much traveling, not enough routine.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, I get it. I have adult kids and kids at home. I have a 4 year old and a 6 year old too.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Oh, good for you. Are you so excited about that?

[Kara Swisher]

They're so great.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Oh, there's nothing better than that.

[Kara Swisher]

Adult kids have a really. We're about to go to San Francisco next week to be with their older brother who calls me every day about them. It's a really wonderful relationship. I'm very happy about the whole thing.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

That's great.

[Kara Swisher]

Is parenting different in your 60s? I know how it is.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Oh my God, yes. Thousand percent meaning better. First of all, an autistic child forces me to have a patience level that I didn't have when my other kids were little. I think that because my mother died so young, I had a 10 year old's idea of what a perfect mother would be. And in some ways, I made mistakes. I think I tried to flatten the bumps in the road for them a little bit too much. I when. Which made it difficult then, when a bump occurs in adult life. And I also didn't realize that adult children need their mothers and fathers so much. Like when my kids now in their 20s and 30s, would call me and tell me what's going on. And also the sense of sadness and desperation that they feel about the current state of the world and their lack of ability to ever own a home. And it's a very different experience. And parenting never ends. Yeah, it never ends. And I didn't realize that.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah, I think that's the best part of it, actually.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

I do too.

[Kara Swisher]

I think I'm a better parent to even the older kids now.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yeah, I think the same thing for me, I think I try to connect more. Connection is very big with clay. And because I do that on a daily basis, make a point to connect and to get inspired. I do it now with my bigger kids, too, and it's been very rewarding.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. I think lesbians should raise all the kids, honestly.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

I do too, frankly.

[Kara Swisher]

We'd have strong, confident men who like women and girls who are confident and also like men and women. Exactly. Yeah. So it seems like you have a new kind of energy and confidence now.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

A lot of people have said that to me.

[Kara Swisher]

Yes.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

I don't know that I. I sense the show.

[Kara Swisher]

I sense it.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yeah. Other people have said that they sense it.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. I don't know you well, but it feels like that you seem mentally, you know, in your long career, you've done standup comedy, hosting talk shows, acting in movies. Obviously you've been an advocate in this one woman show. What do you hope the next act looks like?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

You know, I hope I get to do something that still provides me with enough time to be around my family in a really meaningful way. But, you know, I would like to come back. If I could do something in the daytime area, I would do this. So I don't know, we'll see what happens. But I want to be able to be central and available to my children as a priority more so than I do out of my career.

[Kara Swisher]

So you'd never run for office?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Never. Never thought I would be. No, because, you know, my mental health is something I have to stay on top of. And I think that, you know, I wouldn't have the patience to deal with all the bullshit that is required. When you are a politician, would you

[Kara Swisher]

go out on the road for any politicians.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Oh. And I have before.

[Kara Swisher]

Is there anyone you like?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Well, I'm a fan of Gavin Newsom. I like the way he talked back to Trump. I like the way he stands up for what he believes in. And gay marriage, which he did all those years ago and was there when I married Kelly. I think he reminds me of a Kennedy in the.

[Kara Swisher]

He's a handsome man.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Yeah, he's a handsome man. And the only thing.

[Kara Swisher]

Not that you want to sleep with him just like that.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

No, I do not. But I like to look at him sometimes and I don't think of anything below the waist, trust me. I. But I'm a big fan of him and a supporter and always was of Hillary Clinton and went out on the road with her and did a lot of events and interviews and I do whatever I do.

[Kara Swisher]

If you want to be part of what's next coming, what do you hope for the country right now?

[Rosie O'Donnell]

That we can restore ourselves to what the founding fathers originally intended and that we can stop the corruption and the. The misogyny and the racism that permeates this land.

[Kara Swisher]

Yeah. Well, hello, Donald. Yes, hello, Donald.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Hello, Donnie. Well, hello, Donnie. It's me, Rosie, and I'm looking at you right here on tv.

[Kara Swisher]

Okay, thank you so much.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

It's great. And thank you for coming to my show. I really appreciate it.

[Kara Swisher]

It was wonderful. It was fantastic.

[Rosie O'Donnell]

Thank you.

[Kara Swisher]

I appreciate it. Today's show was produced by Michelle Aloy, Kathryn Milsop, Madeline LaPlante, Dubie, Megan Burney and Kaitlin Lynch. Nishat Kurwa is Vox Media's executive producer of podcast. Special thanks to Eamon Whalen, Dave Shaw and Julia Sharp Levine. Our engineers are Fernando Arruda and Rickwon and our theme music is by Trackademics. If you're already following the show, you're sipping a pint with the locals. If not, the cross section facing guard in Ireland is going to have a word. Go wherever you listen to podcasts, search for on with Kara Swisher and hit follow. Thanks for listening to on with Kara Swisher from Podium Media, New York Magazine, the Vox Media podcast network, and us. We'll be back on Thursday with more.

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