Rosie O’Donnell reveals she’s left America and moved to Ireland after Trump election win
Comedian Rosie O’Donnell has left America and moved to Ireland. (Getty)
Lesbian comic Rosie O’Donnell is no longer living in the United States, and has moved with her 12-year-old child to Ireland.
In a nine-minute TikTok video shared yesterday (11 March) with her followers, the former talk show host and A League of Their Own star said it had been “heartbreaking” to watch the the political chaos unfurl in America.
O’Donnell shared that she moved to Ireland on 15 January, several days ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration, and said that the experience in her new country had been “pretty wonderful”.
“It’s been pretty wonderful, I have to say… the people are so loving and so kind and so welcoming. And I’m very grateful,” she said, adding that she is hoping to gain Irish citizenship as she has Irish grandparents.
“I was never someone who thought I would move to another country. That’s what I decided would be the best for myself and my 12-year-old child. And here we are,” she continued.
The comedian has five children, Parker, Chelsea, Blake, Vivienne, and her youngest child, whom she referred to as Clay in her TikTok video. Parker, Chelsea and Blake were adopted by O’Donnell and her ex-wife Kelli Carpenter, while Vivienne is Carpenter’s biological daughter.
Clay was adopted by Rosie O’Donnell and her second, now ex-wife, Michelle Rounds.
Though O’Donnell said that she and Clay are “happy” in Ireland, she admitted to missing life back in the US, and lamented the state of the country’s politics and mainstream media.
“I miss my friends… I miss many things about life there at home and I’m trying to find a home here in this beautiful country and when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that’s when we will consider coming back,” she shared.
“It’s been heartbreaking to see what’s happening politically and hard for me personally as well.
“I just felt like we needed to take care of ourselves and make some hard decisions and follow through… and now as we’re getting settled, I was ready to post this and to tell everybody what’s been going on.
“I think about everyone every day and the United States of America. And I am hoping that we can turn things around, counting on you, all of you, to do what’s right. And I think deep down inside, we all know what that is.”
O’Donnell went on to encourage her American followers to “stand up, to use their voice, to protest” and demand that “cruelty” isn’t part of the country’s politics.
Though O’Donnell didn’t mention Donald Trump by name or his slew of attacks against the LGBTQ+ community, she has spent much of her career being a vocal critic of Trump’s morals.
The pair engaged in a bitter public feud in 2006, with the now President threatening to sue the comedian, though he never followed through.
Rosie O’Donnell’s move to Ireland follows other celebrities leaving America, including fellow TV host Ellen DeGeneres, Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria, and actor Richard Gere.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
How did this story make you feel?
