Rosie O’Donnell is back in the talk-show limelight, and she’s making up for lost time.
O’Donnell returned to the United States to serve as the guest host of Jimmy Kimmel Live this week. The iconic actress and daytime host relocated to Dublin, Ireland shortly before President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January 2025.
“I miss many things about life there at home, and I’m trying to find a home here in this beautiful country,” O’Donnell said, in part, in this nine-minute TikTok from March 2025. “And when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that’s when we will consider coming back.”
O’Donnell and Trump’s feud has been extremely well-documented, dating back at least 20 years. So, it was only right that O’Donnell use her revived talk-show platform to get a few things off her chest.
Check out a rundown of what O’Donnell has said about Trump in her three Kimmel opening monologues so far.
Rosie O’Donnell calls Trump ‘Mango Mussolini’
“If you thought the President hated Jimmy Kimmel Live when it was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, buckle up, people!” O’Donnell said to open Monday night’s show. She also called Trump “Mango Mussolini” and denounced Project 2025.
Later in the monologue, O’Donnell reenacted her 13-year-old, Clay (they/them), telling their classmates that they had to move to Ireland: “I’m very sorry I won’t be able to graduate sixth grade with you. I’m being forced to move to another country because the President of the United States hates my mother. But, in all fairness, I believe my mother hates him more.”
O’Donnell then waved to the camera and said, “Hi! I know you’re watching!”
Rosie O’Donnell thanks Trump
“I’m so grateful to be filling in for Jimmy and to be hosting a talk show on network TV once again,” O’Donnell said to open Tuesday’s show. “This has been kind of a strange experience for me because, all of a sudden, I’m re-famous! I’m back in the spotlight, all thanks to President Oompa J. Loompa, who is watching us this evening from inside a catering cart.”
O’Donnell added, “You know, I couldn’t have done it without you, sweetie. You brought me back, just like you did with fascism and the measles.”
Later, after cracking a joke about an impending World War III, O’Donnell refocused on Trump. “We also learned today that the United States could be acquiring some new land soon,” she said. “Velveeto Corleone was up bright and early at 7 a.m. this morning to post an image of a map listing the Strait of Hormuz as a U.S. territory, which makes literally no sense. I’ll put it this way: if the U.S. is in charge of the Strait, then I’m also straight. And let’s face it, I’m not.”
Rosie O’Donnell taunts Trump and Natalie Harp
“A special hello to those of you watching from home, and from the White House,” O’Donnell said to open Wednesday’s show. “But I do have some bad news for President Petty Roosevelt: that’s all I’m gonna say about you tonight, sweetheart. Y0u gotta realize it’s time to hang up your wig and let Natalie [Harp] tuck you in. Time to go nighty night!”
About Megan Armstrong
Since first getting published as a student by the Kansas City Star in 2013, Megan Armstrong has gone wherever curiosity and stories have taken her, specializing in sports, media, music, and culture coverage. She also has an extensive background in interviewing and profiling public figures. Her work has appeared in Billboard, Boardroom, Bleacher Report, Esquire, GQ, GRAMMY.com, NYLON, Newsweek, Teen Vogue, The Hollywood Reporter, UPROXX, and elsewhere.