The Best People with Nicolle Wallace

Episode: Best of The Best: Rosie O'Donnell Did Not Become an Artist to be Liked

Date: December 29, 2025
Host: Nicolle Wallace, MS NOW
Guest: Rosie O’Donnell

Episode Overview

In this reflective, emotionally rich episode, Nicolle Wallace welcomes her “dear friend and former co-host on The View,” Rosie O’Donnell. The conversation is an intimate, honest exploration of comedy, friendship, motherhood, activism, and the societal upheaval facing Americans in 2025. Rosie discusses her decision to move to Ireland, her lifelong advocacy, her tumultuous public feud with Donald Trump, and the deep sense of responsibility she feels in both her art and her activism. The episode unpacks themes of empathy, the importance of truth in media, and the need for authentic community in troubled political times.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Motherhood, Self-Preservation & Moving to Ireland

Timestamps: 03:17, 04:50, 07:35

• Rosie’s move to Ireland: Was driven less by politics and more by the need to protect her mental health and be present for her daughter as she enters her teenage years.
  • Quote [03:17]:
    "I came here out of self preservation...I read Project 2025 and I saw that he won. And I called my therapist and said, I need to go to Ireland... So, I went to my people. And it was totally because I knew how badly I did during his first term."
• Late-in-life motherhood: Both Rosie and Nicolle share insights on becoming mothers in their 50s and the awe and gratitude that brings.
  • Quote [04:50]:
    "It's the best decision I ever made. You know, I got a call from my lawyer ...and I did. And I said, can you tell her it's me?...the birth mother said, 'No, no, that's not my baby, that's hers. She's the mother. Give that baby to her.' I've never witnessed God's grace so profoundly as I did in that moment."

2. Personal Sacrifice & Family Dynamics

Timestamps: 07:35–09:52

• Leaving family behind: Rosie shares the difficult choice of leaving grown children in the U.S. to prioritize her and her youngest daughter’s well-being.
  • Quote [07:35]:
    "I miss them every day...But I knew in order to save myself, I had to adjust my mask first before I could save my kids."
• Becoming a “nester” in a new country: The fear and unfamiliarity Rosie faced in moving, especially as someone who avoided travel and change.
  • Quote [08:40]:
    "I'm not a traveler. I like to be in a country where I could speak the language...doing this was a tremendous jump for me."

3. Activism, Trump, and the Power of Community

Timestamps: 01:46, 10:06, 13:35–14:41, 18:33, 41:02, 46:15

• Impact of consumer activism:
  • Quote [01:46]:
    "People saying I'm canceling my trip to Disney...$4 billion in four days. Bravo America. And this is how much power we have. And don't let them tell you we don't."
• On not seeking to be liked as an artist:
  • Quote [10:06]:
    "I never became an artist to have everyone like me...if you can't see that there's a madman in the house, you're never gonna protect the kids."
• The importance of bearing witness: Citing Glennon Doyle and Abby Wambach, Rosie stresses showing up, even if all one can do is bear witness to injustice.
• On the American media: Rosie is highly critical of traditional media's failure to challenge power and lies, and calls for journalists to band together and stop normalizing falsehood.
  • Quote [20:48]:
    "The fourth estate, mainstream media has let down the democracy...he's controlling the media and thinks he can...he's allowed to sue people for telling the truth."
  • Quote [41:02]:
    "They need to all band together of mainstream media and say, we will not post his lies without comment anymore."

4. Rosie & Trump: Decades-Long Feud Explored

Timestamps: 14:06–16:03, 14:41

• Clarification of their relationship: Rosie debunks the myth that she knows Trump well; their only direct conversation was a brief, inconsequential encounter.
  • Quote [14:06]:
    "I only spoke to him one time for four minutes at the Survivor reunion that I hosted..."
• Trump’s apparent fixation:
  • Quote [14:41]:
    "I think he is very upset that I, a girl who reminds him of all the tough girls in his neighborhood who never fell for his shit...this is a very wounded person, right. Who I don't believe ever learned the tenets of compassion, love, empathy, sympathy..."

5. Living as a Celebrity Outside Celebrity Culture

Timestamps: 29:41–32:25

• Life in Ireland: Offers anonymity, warmth, and resets her sense of self, free from the trappings of American celebrity.

  • Quote [30:50]:
    "The first time in 40 years, it made me feel like I was in the 70s again...and they reminded me of my childhood..."

• Creative resurgence: The changed environment inspired Rosie’s new one-woman show, allowing her to access vulnerability and creative honesty in new ways.

6. Connection, Audience, and the Power of Representation

Timestamps: 23:39, 24:32, 32:44

• Rosie’s relationship with her audience: Her authenticity made her an icon to many marginalized viewers; she compares the impact of meeting Barbra Streisand to the meaningful, sometimes overwhelming, encounters she’s had with her own fans.

  • Quote [24:32]:
    "I always feel more akin to an audience member than to the celebrity on the stage."

• On the impact of visibility and empathy in show business: The importance of connecting emotionally, being a “balm” for others, and the emotional cost of such visibility.

7. The Cost of Feeling Deeply & Mental Health

Timestamps: 36:49–40:00

• Rosie discusses the toll of absorbing the world’s pain, her ongoing therapy and reliance on medication to regulate her mental health, particularly in political turmoil and after traumatic news events.
  • Quote [37:30]:
    "Most people have a window with a window pane and a screen and shutters and curtains. And your window is open. You have no way to filter out the painful stuff. Most people have all those protections... But it hits me like a bullet."

8. Empowerment, Advice, and Building Community

Timestamps: 46:15–48:44, 48:44–50:11

• On activism: Find and build sustaining communities, even if protests are daunting. The greatest strength comes from standing together.
  • Quote [46:15]:
    "If you're afraid to go to a protest, and you have every right to be afraid...find out the people in your town who think like you and have a potluck dinner...just talk and form community."
• On being an ally: Rosie references civil rights history and Tori Amos lyrics to explain the moral imperative to stand with the oppressed.
  • Quote [48:44]:
    "Would you have hidden Anne Frank in your attic?... When people are being dehumanized, be a human being and stand next to them and hold their hand through it and suffer what they suffer. And that's empathy."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "I've never witnessed God's grace so profoundly as I did in that moment when this woman who loved her baby...graciously handed her to someone who felt they could." (Rosie, 04:50)
• "If you can't see that there's a madman in the house, you're never gonna protect the kids. There's a madman in the White House, and we need to protect the kids and the women and everyone else." (Rosie, 10:06)
• "This is a very wounded person, right. Who I don't believe ever learned the tenets of compassion, love, empathy, sympathy..." (Rosie, 14:41)
• "I always feel more akin to an audience member than to the celebrity on the stage." (Rosie, 24:32)
• "Find community of like minded people. Stick together, take care of each other, hide each other if you need to." (Rosie, 48:44)
• "When people are being dehumanized, be a human being and stand next to them and hold their hand through it and suffer what they suffer. And that's empathy." (Rosie, 49:40)

Important Timestamps

• Rosie’s move to Ireland & its motivation: 03:17–07:20
• Motherhood at 50 and adoption story: 04:50–07:20
• Personal cost/family sacrifice: 07:35–09:52
• Rosie’s philosophy on art and likability: 10:06
• Discussion of Trump & media complicity: 14:06–16:28; 20:48–21:45
• Role of women, representation, empathy: 45:39–46:15
• Mental health, absorbing trauma: 36:49–40:00
• Advice to activists; building community: 46:15–48:44
• On bearing witness & Tori Amos lyric: 48:44–50:11

Tone & Style

The tone is candid, deeply personal, and emotionally open. Rosie’s signature warmth, humor, and occasional indignation are evident throughout, balanced by Nicolle’s empathy and directness. The conversation weaves between introspection, social critique, and hopeful, sometimes urgent, calls for active compassion and community.

Takeaways for Listeners

• The most magnetic people combine warmth, self-knowledge, and courage to stand up for truth.
• Community and empathy are the best antidotes to despair in times of upheaval.
• Even the most public figures are vulnerable, feel fear, and struggle to balance self-care with larger social responsibilities.
• Activism and decency can start with small acts: building community and standing with the vulnerable.
• The media and everyday citizens share a responsibility to resist normalization of falsehood and injustice.