Rosie O’Donnell felt hurt that Ellen DeGeneres denied their friendship was “painful”.
Rosie O’Donnell found Ellen DeGeneres’ denial of their friendship was “painful.”
The 63-year-old star felt betrayed that her fellow former talk show host, 67, seemed to have forgotten that they had been friends for “30 years” when she appeared on Larry King Live in 2004 and insisted she and Rosie were not pals.
Rosie said on the latest episode of the No Filter podcast: “I couldn’t believe it. I have photos of her holding my newborn babies. I knew her for 30 years.”
Even though Rosie supported the star after she came out as a lesbian during an episode of her sitcom in 1997, she claims Ellen did not give her a helping hand after she came out herself in 2002.
Rosie added: “She was all of a sudden in the position I was in where she was starting a show and wanted it to be successful and get the money and the accolades that came with it.
“Instead of deciding to stand next to me and hold my hand, which is what I did to her, she did the opposite. And I couldn’t believe it.”
Rosie added: “That was, like, one of the most painful things that ever happened to me, in show business, in my life.”
Rosie wants an apology from Ellen.
The comedienne said: “I would have said, ‘I’m really sorry I hurt you that much, and I don’t know why I did that. It was a mistake and I hope you can forgive me.’
“That’s what I would have done. I think in her mind, she thinks I keep rehashing it for pleasure.
“I don’t rehash it for pleasure. I rehash it because our careers have taken sort of parallel, interwoven paths.”
But Rosie – who previously said she does not bear any “malice” towards her former pal – admitted she and Ellen are different people.
The star added: “My desire to create family is the biggest force in my life.
“I do it everywhere I go, and I don’t think that she’s similar to me in that way.”
In March, Rosie announced that she and her youngest child Clay, 12, relocated to Howth on the outskirts of Dublin, Ireland, after US President Donald Trump, 79, was re-elected as Commander-in-Chief.
And Ellen wrote to Rosie on her Instagram account, saying: “Good for you.”
Rosie was “shocked” when she found out that Ellen and her wife, Portia De Rossi, 52, moved to England in 2024 as a result of the political climate in the US.
She told US Weekly magazine in April: “I’ve never really known Ellen to say anything political in her life, so I was surprised to read that she left because of President Trump. Like, that shocked me, actually.
“I’ve been a political person my whole life, not better or worse, it’s just a different way to be in the world. I was very clear about the reason why I was leaving, and I don’t think it came as a surprise to anyone.
“We’re not really in each other’s worlds, and it’s been kind of awkward, but you know what? I wish her the best. I wish that she has peace and love in her life and that she is OK.”
‘One of the most painful things that ever happened to me…’ Rosie O’Donnell recalls Ellen DeGeneres denying their friendship
