Rosie O'Donnell Opens Up About Painful Fallout With Ellen DeGeneres
"Instead of deciding to stand next to me and hold my hand, which is what I did to her, she did the opposite."
For many years, Rosie O'Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres shared a strong friendship that went beyond comedy. Both were trailblazers in the entertainment industry, with O'Donnell hosting The Rosie O'Donnell Show and DeGeneres leading her own sitcom, Ellen. Together, they helped push for greater LGBTQ+ visibility on television.
Even before coming out herself, O'Donnell publicly supported DeGeneres when she revealed her se*uality, later crediting her friend for being there during important milestones, including bonding with her son Parker. The two comedians were once so close that O'Donnell referred to their connection as one that spanned decades.
That bond, however, fractured in 2004 when DeGeneres told Larry King Live that she "doesn't know" O'Donnell, clarifying, "We're not friends." For O'Donnell, who had stood beside DeGeneres during her own challenges, the remark felt like a deep betrayal.
She later described the moment as "one of the most painful things that ever happened to me in show business and my life." On the No Filter podcast this week, O'Donnell reflected on the fallout, admitting she still struggles to understand 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. O'Donnell recalled being shocked, saying, "I couldn't believe it. I have photos of her holding my newborn babies. I knew her for 30 years."
O'Donnell and DeGeneres once boasted a close friendship
Christopher PolkAlthough she insists she would have apologized if she had known what caused the rift, O'Donnell explained that DeGeneres’ words left lasting scars.
"I don't rehash it for pleasure. I rehash it because our careers have taken sort of parallel, interwoven paths."That bond, however, fractured in 2004 when DeGeneres told Larry King Live that she "doesn't know" O'Donnell, clarifying, "We're not friends."
In 2022, after hearing O'Donnell discuss the feud on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, DeGeneres reached out. According to O'Donnell, DeGeneres texted: "I’m really sorry, and I don’t remember that."
O'Donnell replied that she remembered it so vividly that she once printed T-shirts with the quote and handed them to her staff. She admitted at the time, "It just felt like, I don’t trust this person to be in my world."
DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Ross, left the United States for the UK in 2024
Kelly Sullivan
Both women have since made major life changes. O'Donnell relocated to Ireland earlier this year, citing concerns over Donald Trump’s policies that impact LGBTQ+ citizens. DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi later left the United States for the UK in 2024, saying they would not return until Trump left office.
Despite the distance and their complicated history, DeGeneres still reached out on Instagram after O'Donnell’s move, simply writing: "Good for you."
