Rosie O’Donnell was a lifelong resident of the United States. She moved overseas in 2025 amid growing unrest in America. The comedian recently made a surprise return to the States after revealing she had a secret facelift. Now, she shared the shocking reason she left Ireland.
Former The View Host Returning To Television
Rosie O’Donnell got the nickname “Queen of Nice” while hosting her own daytime talk show. But the nickname was revoked after she abruptly ended her show and joined The View. Rosie O’Donnell had an explosive fight with Elisabeth Hasselbeck while moderating the ABC talk show.
Rosie’s feud with Donald Trump began years before he became President. She called him a “snake-oil salesman” on The View in 2006. He responded by calling her a loser. Their feud reached a shocking new level in 2025 when he hinted that he might revoke her U.S. citizenship. But by that point, she had already fled overseas.
Rosie O’Donnell and her youngest child, Clay, moved to Ireland in January 2025, shortly before Trump was sworn in for his second term. However, she quietly returned in February 2026 for a brief visit with her other children. But now she’s back in the U.S. for a longer stay.
Rosie O’Donnell Reveals Shocking Reason She Left Ireland
Rosie O’Donnell made a surprise appearance at the Tony Awards in New York City in June 2026. Her former View co-host, Whoopi Goldberg, hinted that Rosie had some major things in the works. The comedian has two huge gigs coming up. Her one-woman show, Common Knowledge, premieres off-Broadway in July.
The Sleepless in Seattle star is among the guest hosts filling in for Jimmy Kimmel this summer while he’s on vacation. Rosie O’Donnell guest-hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! beginning on Monday, August 17, 2026. She recently spilled to Page Six why she left Ireland and returned to the States.
“I had read Project 2025 and I knew what they were planning and I knew if they were successful, that we were in very big trouble,” she said about her decision to flee overseas in the first place. But now, she believes the trouble has passed and it was safe to return.
“I believe now people have woken up in the United States, and they understand, as you can tell by how empty his state fair was, and how his support has diminished significantly since I left,” she said. President Trump’s Great American State Fair to celebrate America’s 250th birthday was a huge bust. Bad weather and multiple musicians dropping out after public backlash put a damper on the event and kept attendance low.
Rosie O’Donnell is back in the U.S. for the foreseeable future. Tell us in the comments if you’re excited to see her back on television this summer.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
