In 2025, the comedian shared that she had quit the U.S. and moved to Ireland, saying she no longer felt safe after Donald Trump was elected.
Rosie O'Donnell has teased that President Donald Trump made her "refamous" after she ditched the United States and moved to Ireland when he regained his seat in the Oval Office.
The comedian, 64, revealed in January 2025 that she had quit the U.S. in hopes of a better, and more peaceful, life in Ireland. She stated that she no longer felt safe in America after Trump was elected as president for a second time.
At the time, O'Donnell—who has been embroiled in a decades-long feud with the president—shared few details about her new life with her youngest child, Dakota "Clay" O'Donnell, 13. She revealed that they were residing in a rented property while she attempted to secure Irish citizenship for them both.
What followed was a yearslong war of words between the former TV host—an outspoken critic of Trump and his policies—and the president, who even threatened to revoke her U.S. citizenship.
Now, O'Donnell is revealing that, despite their bitter feud, she is grateful to Trump in one unexpected way: for helping propel her back into the spotlight.
Rosie O'Donnell has teased that President Donald Trump made her "refamous" after she ditched the United States and moved to Ireland when regained his seat in the Oval Office. (Amanda Edwards/Getty Images) While appearing on Amy Poehler's "Good Hang" podcast, O'Donnell credited Trump for her recent resurgence: "I feel like recently I’m refamous. That’s what I feel. I told my kids, ‘Well kids, hold on, because mommy’s refamous.’
“I don’t know how it happened. I think it’s Mango Mussolini,” the comedian added. “He didn’t know. If he knew how much he was helping my career and my life, he would shut up about me because, you know, he’s a horrible creature.”
The pair later reacted to clips of Trump appearing to fall asleep during public events.
“I’m stunned by it,” O’Donnell explained. “Like I go, 'Is everyone looking at the same speech he just gave? Did we hear what he just said? He is asleep again, ladies and gentlemen!' Like, what is it going to take?"
“The looking around and the almost, the gaslighting that’s afterward is so stressful,” Poehler added.
Though she initially framed her move to Ireland as temporary, O'Donnell told the Washington Post in December 2025 that she promised her nonbinary child, Clay, they would stay permanently, even after Trump's presidency comes to an end in 2028.
And it's not just Clay who is happier in Ireland. O'Donnell is also feeling more passionate abroad, noting that she will be starring in an Irish sitcom this summer and has even been approached about doing a weekly talk show, a role that would see her returning to daytime TV for the first time in years.
The comedian, 64, revealed January 2025 that she had quit the U.S. in hopes of a better, and more peaceful, life in Ireland. She said that she no longer felt safe in America after Trump was elected president a second time. (rosie/TikTok) 
At the time, O'Donnell—who has been embroiled in a decadeslong feud with the president—shared few details about her new life with her youngest child, Dakota "Clay" O'Donnell, 13. She said that they were residing in a rented property while she attempted to secure Irish citizenship for them both. (Rosie ODonnell/TikTok) 
The former TV host has been an outspoken critic of Trump and his policies—and the president has threatened to revoke her U.S. citizenship. (@rosie/Instagram) O'Donnell noted that, while she is still regularly recognized by strangers on the street, anyone who comes up to her does so in a much more relaxed manner, allowing her to freely move about in public without concerns about her safety or well-being.
Many of those in O'Donnell's inner circle told the Post that the move to Ireland has prompted a visible uptick in the comedian's personality, with some going as far as to note that her fixation on Trump and their longtime feud was beginning to take a serious mental toll.
O'Donnell confessed that she still spends much of her days scrolling the news online or posting on social media about Trump. However, she said she has been able to at least work on curbing that habit since her move.
Her brother Eddie described the move as "the best decision she’s made, I think, in her life, honestly," while her daughter Viv revealed how easy it is to see how much happier O'Donnell is—even when they're just talking on the phone.
"Before, I’d be like, ‘How are you?’ And she’d be like, ‘Yeah, I’m OK. Just another day,’ and then talk about the news a lot,” Viv said. “Now I’ll call her. She’ll talk about Clay. She’ll talk about how beautiful Ireland is. She’ll talk about work."
While appearing on Amy Poehler's "Good Hang" podcast, O'Donnell revealed, "I feel like recently I’m refamous. That’s what I feel. I told my kids, ‘Well kids, hold on, because mommy’s refamous.'” (YouTube) 
“I don’t know how it happened. I think it’s Mango Mussolini,” the comedian added, referring to Trump. (YouTube) 
She noted that she believes it was Trump who reignited her fame. (YouTube) O'Donnell has been open about her move, telling the New York Times in April 2025 that she began preparations before the last election even took place. As anxiety grew over the prospect of Trump regaining the White House, her therapist encouraged her to map out an exit strategy.
“I never thought he would win again, but I said, ‘If he does, I’m going to move,’ and my therapist said, ‘Well, let’s make a real plan.’”
Step 1 was getting paperwork in order, despite not historically being much of a traveler.
"I got my passport renewed, I got Clay’s passport renewed. My brother has his passport. All my cousins have their passports. But I was never a traveler," she said.
Though the move is a major shift, her family's roots have helped her settle in, finding the local culture a welcome contrast to what she experienced back home.
"I'm here in Ireland, and it's beautiful and warm—not physically, it's actually quite cold," she said. "I moved here on Jan. 15 [and] it's been pretty wonderful, I have to say. The people are so loving and so kind, so welcoming. And I'm very grateful."
The comedian told the New York Times in April that she had begun making preparations to move to Ireland before the election had even taken place. (Dave Benett/Getty Images) 
O'Donnell noted that her family's roots have also helped her adapt to the culture in Ireland. (Fred Lee/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) 
The former TV show host has been embroiled in a bitter feud with Trump since 2006. (Bloomberg via Getty Images) The comedian explained that she can apply for citizenship in her new chosen homeland because she has Irish grandparents. However, she conceded that she never thought she would end up leaving the U.S., where she had most recently been living in Los Angeles.
"I was never someone who thought I would move to another country, [but] that's what I decided would be best for myself and my 12-year-old child. And here we are," she went on.
Although O'Donnell said she has relished in taking in all of the wonderful aspects of Ireland, she confessed that she has often found herself missing parts of the U.S., specifically her four other adopted children: Parker, 30, Chelsea, 28, Blake, 26, and Viv, 23
"You know, I'm happy. Clay is happy. [But] I miss my other kids. 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," she explained.
O'Donnell previously admitted that she would consider returning to the States after Trump leaves office and the country is "safe" again. She did not mention the president by name, instead referring only to what is "happening politically" in the country.
At the end of the 9-minute video, O'Donnell apologized to her fans who were concerned about her and encouraged everyone to "stand up, to use their voice, to protest, to demand that we follow the Constitution in our country and not a king, not a man, and we don’t have cruelty as part of our governing style.
"And now, as we're getting settled, I was ready to post this and to tell everybody what's been going on."
O'Donnell previously sparked speculation about her move when she shared an image of herself and her child in a car on her Instagram account, which has since been made private. She noted in the caption that she had recently purchased the vehicle and was getting used to driving "on the wrong side of the road."
"Bought a little used car to tool around the countryside on the wrong side of the road. Hit the curb three times—thought I hit a cat!" she joked.
The former TV show host has been embroiled in a bitter feud with Trump since 2006 when the two began a furious debate about his decision to show leniency toward Miss USA Tara Conner, who was accused of drug use.
O'Donnell hammered Trump as a hypocrite after he initially criticized Conner, before later U-turning, prompting the then-businessman to fire back, branding "The View" host "fat" and "a slob" in a furious tirade.