Rosie O’Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres definitely have a good amount in common, given they’re both female comedians and retired talk show hosts who both moved abroad following the re-election of Donald Trump in 2024. However, not many people realize that they used to be friends and, as it turns out, had a nasty friendship breakup.
The former View co-host recently sat down for a podcast interview where she opened up about her past friendship with Ellen, noting that the end of it was very “painful” and a lot of it had to do with a few comments the Finding Nemo star made about her and their relationship. It was very interesting, especially for those pop culture enthusiasts who didn’t realize they were friends. Read more about what Rosie had to say below.
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Rosie O'Donnell Opens Up About Her Friendship With Ellen DeGeneres In A New Interview
Earlier this month, the famous comedian, who recently began a new life in Ireland, sat down for a podcast interview where she spoke out about her past relationship with Ellen DeGeneres, a fellow celebrity who decided to move to a different country.
Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, the two famous women, who were both on television at the time, came out as members of the LGBTQ+ community. Ellen came out during an episode of her talk show in 1997, and only a few years later, in 2002, Rosie also came out.
In her latest interview on the No Filter podcast, she revealed she felt the need to "stand by" Ellen and "hold her hand," showing her support during a time when it was very controversial and risky to their careers to come out.
However, those days of solidarity and friendship ended up potentially not meaning as much to the Ellen DeGeneres Show host as much as Rosie had hoped they would.
"It was funny, because she never really, I didn't think, appreciated that moment," admitted Rosie on the podcast.
Rosie Discusses What Led To Her And Ellen's Friendship Ending 'Painfully'
Sometimes, when celebrity friendships end, there's some kind of moment that the public misses, like a dispute or breakup that happens in private, and then the public doesn't know what happened. However, sometimes, it's public comments or behavior that indicate what caused the friendship to end. It's not so much a secret that Ellen and Rosie are no longer friends, considering they now both live in Europe, with Rosie residing in Ireland and Ellen living in England, both of them with their families.
For both comedians, reports and interviews have come out explaining that the re-election of President Donald Trump has been the reason why. However, it looks like the Louisiana native's past actions made a negative impact on their former friendship. During her podcast interview, the Ireland resident recalled a comment that Ellen made while being interviewed by Larry King after Rosie had left her talk show by choice after the death of her mother.
"Larry King asked her, 'Whatever happened to Rosie O'Donnell? Her show went down the tubes!'" said Rosie on the podcast. "And Ellen said, 'I don't know Rosie, we're not friends.'"
"That was like one of the most painful things that ever happened to me, in show business [or] in my life," Rosie added. "I couldn't believe it."
When the podcast host asked the 63-year-old why she thought Ellen may have said such a thing, she had no clue.
"I don't know," she explained. "Because I have photos of her holding my newborn babies. I knew her for 30 years... It was so upsetting to me."
Later in the interview, the mom of five admitted she felt Ellen was "a strange creature" and that they're "not emotionally similar." She also explained that she felt it had to do with her getting her own talk show and potentially wanting to separate herself from her going into it.
"Instead of deciding to stand next to me and hold my hand, which is what I did to her, she did the opposite," she said. "And I couldn't believe it."
