Rosie O'Donnell on life in Ireland, Trump, and why she left the U.S.

She looks good and seems much happier. I've seen Rosie as a guest on several podcasts recently and have been impressed with her. She's a bit loopy but that's ok. In one interview, she went through the entire Trump feud timeline and what had happened. The way Trump has treated her is appalling. I was repulsed at how much of a foul pig Trump is.

That was an excellent interview.

She's one of the lucky ones, who has the means and the ability to move abroad.

I envy her.

I don't expect much at all of a morning chat show interview but it was good, actually, both on the part of the hosts and O'Donnell.

If I recall she's always been a bit scattered in jumping from topic to tangent to topic, but she was articulate and pretty focused. And the interviewers had decent questions and a calm tone, and let her speak at some length.

And she looks good.

I don't dislike her but have never been much interested in her either. Her move to Ireland and speaking against Trump makes me see her in a more positive light.

[quote]I was repulsed at how much of a foul pig Trump is.

You needed Rosie to convince you of that?

I have never been so proud that Rosie O'Donnell is "one of us."

As Spock would say, "Live long and prosper," Rosie!

That was very enjoyable. I echo the comments that she was focused and articulate. She really seems to be flourishing. Sometimes I feel pained when the good ones leave the U.S. but watching Rosie I think, yeah, get the hell out if you can.

It's a good interview. She looks good and seems calm.

It'll annoy the MAGAts because they'd love nothing more than to mock her for moving away, but there's not much here they can attack.

Good for Rosie, doing what she felt was right for her. Still, to me, moving out of the States comes across as elitist. Ultimately she's one of the one-percenters who can easily make these choices. I've heard her say in other interviews that one of the reasons she left was for the safety of her non-binary child, which just sounds self-serving to me. No one loses jobs, is denied housing or is deprived of medical care because of their choice to label themselves non-binary. For that reason alone I can't help but think her dire assessment of her existence here in the US may be a bit over reactionary. Just because her latest beef is with this administration & its policies doesn't mean that Rosie isn't still a person who expresses more irrational behavior than is needed.

Yup and then Trump threatend to take away her citixzenship. Let that sink in. He wants to revoke the citizenship of a US citizen he does not agree with.

Leaving is an incredibly rational move. People are arbitrarily losing their jobs, the detention and deportation machine is going into overdrive, and individuals and companies and institutions have zero protection from Donald Trump’s vindictiveness. On top of that, actual homeland security from disasters and terrorism is being defunded and ignored. Just as climate change and America’s position in the world are deteriorating irreversibly.

Funny she ain't, though.

Nothing left there.

Don't you just love these UK morning talk shows? They're always so low-key, no tech and blaring music, smart and simple and this one, which I've never seen before, is a good example. Great hosts who've done their homework and allow the guest to talk. When I'm in London, I can have shows like this on as I have my morning coffee and find them a calming way to begin the day.

I'm a big fan of Rosie now. She sets a good example for us eldergays.

R12 I do like them but I'll add this show is Irish.

Well, Irish....UK...whatever! Same sensibility/aesthetic in morning talk shows. They're probably like this everywhere in Europe. It's just here in the US where they're unwatchable.

Please don't visit Ireland with that whatever attitude, R14. Wait. Please do.

Have fun.

[quote]Still, to me, moving out of the States comes across as elitist. Ultimately she's one of the one-percenters who can easily make these choices.

Well of course it's fucking elitist in that there are those who have the wherewithal and time and determination and there are those who do not. O'Donnell hardly had to splash wild sums of money, it was a small fee and waiting for some administrative approval of a sure thing.

If a person was born to an Irish citizen parent or grandparent, he or she is eligible to be an Irish citizen. As an Irish citizen, one has the right to reside in Ireland. It's simple and costs a few hundred USD to a couple of thousand, depending on how complicated the case and how fast you want it handled. Becoming a citizen is not at all expensive, it's leaving a job, moving, buying property or renting in Ireland, doing without work or accepting a potentially lower paying job... About 1.5Million people live in Dublin (one-third them population of the country) which is quite expensive.

If a person is smart and has any reasonable flexibility to.make it happen, I think liberal Americans should move or at the least get them process initiated to obtain foreign citizenship.or residency is a less suicidal country than the US. I understand staying seems the admirable choice to some, for me, I say if you can get the fuck out, or a least one foot solidly out the door and ready.

Eat shit, R8.

R8, don't you dare call me an elitist when I live on 2K/month.

She's great! Keep on fighting Trump , Rosie!

She needs to stop revealing where she lives and where she eats. When her talk show started, she revealed that she bought the Helen Hayes house in Nyack, NY. Then she complained about random people ringing her bell. She also used to talk on her show about eating at Joe Allen's.

[quote] She needs to stop revealing where she lives and where she eats. When her talk show started, she revealed that she bought the Helen Hayes house in Nyack, NY. Then she complained about random people ringing her bell. She also used to talk on her show about eating at Joe Allen's.

I think Ireland is different. They'll probably leave her alone.

They're not as celebrity obsessive as Americans are.

P.S., I think it's very cool that both she and Conan O'Brian are both 100% Irish. I didn't even know there was such a thing.

Check their posting history, r17.

This makes me want to move to Ireland, too.

I wonder if she'd be willing to take me in?

You didn't know 100% Irish people existed, R21..??

R21 Travel back in time to my neighborhood in the 60s and 70s. There were only two types of families living on every block: The 100% Irish Catholic and the 100% Italian Catholics (my family). The houses which were Irish had the five or six kids, since they didn't believe in birth control. At our neighborhood parish, the Italians sat on the left side of the aisle, and the Irish sat on the right. Me and my family wouldn't be caught dead on the right.

That was my first thought, R24 -- but then I thought again.

R24 She could start the next Underground Railroad for those wanting to escape the US.

[quote]Me and my family wouldn't be caught dead on the right.

Oh dear.

[quote] Oh dear.

Oh fuck off.

Fine, r30, continue to post like a toothless hillbilly.

Why move away from the US because of Trump and then talk and think about him non stop?

r26 made me laugh. Yes, in certain cities, especially in the northeast, there were lots of neighborhoods that were heavily Catholic (often within walking distance of a church) and the families would be overwhelmingly Irish and Italian. Lots of after school fights, I imagine. It's very fascinating that from the generations that grew up in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, there are many many intermarriages between these two ethnic groups, who previously were fierce rivals on the playgrounds and in the streets. Many of the children from these marriages are very attractive.

Very different cultures. Can only imagine the first few Thanksgivings! First of all, let's face it, the Irish are not known for their fine cookery...LOL (And I can say that as someone who is half-Irish). The Italians might be Catholic like the Irish, but their culture is not body-hating and sex-shaming in the same way. Italians tend to be proud of their bodies and their looks, but the Irish have been taught for centuries at home and at school that their bodies were sources of sin and should be abhorred. That's hard to overcome.

The Irish are, generally speaking, wittier and more adept at verbal sparring. It's a point of pride in Irish culture. The art of the zinger is strongly developed. Italians are warm and family-oriented. Meals are a family affair and rather loud. Those are all stereotypes but have a pretty strong basis in reality.

My family is all Irish and Italian inter-married. I always thought that was because they were the only two groups who could stand each other.

r34, you'd enjoy the film "Brooklyn", which charts the course of a recent Irish immigrant girl to the US and the Italian guy she falls for. Of course, the Italian guy she meets is played by a Jewish actor, Emory Cohen, but I have to say he does a pretty convincing job.

Please. I respect her alleged convictions, but it's O'Donnell, after all.

[quote]I think she looks fantastic.

Presumably you mean in the way of the definition "remote from reality."

Who cares where Rosie O'Lesbo thinks or lives she a total nasty BULLY.

Only thing I want to know is why every other American hasn’t left that hellhole of a country and moved to Ireland.

R26 So they tolerated each other because they were the same religion? The Catholic Church did one thing right I suppose.

Happy for Rosie. I visited Donegal Ireland a few weeks ago. The birthplace of Enya. Stunning. Friendly people, tasty food and great traditional music. We danced with the locals

Say what you like about Rosie, r36 and r37, but there's nothing in her interview on Irish TV which is untrue. Moreover, she comes across in that interview as a thoughtful person. There's no doubt that she's sometimes very loud and opinionated when she's arguing a point, but that's not always an indication that someone is invariably wrong or stupid. In this instance, she wasn't being challenged and her opinions seem entirely reasonable.

Donegal is beautifull! but there is a housing shortage in Ireland, very, very expensive!

Everything moves at a snail's pace in Ireland...very inefficient.

Ironically, R38, back in the 80s, there was the running joke that Ireland was the 51st state. There was also a lighthearted suggestion that everyone in the country should get an oar, go to the west coast, and start rowing.

How times change.

R38 Because it's not that fucking easy to do for the average American.

R45, most of whom you're calling "average Americans," I'm guessing, are already MAGAts. They don't want to leave any damned way, so it's not a problem.

R39 More or less, yes. Although being in elementary school in the late 60s - mid 70s, we all got along fine. We all walked to school together as a group of friends, played outside with each other, went to each other's birthday parties, etc - but Sunday mornings, we didn't dare sit with each other. After mass, we all got together again in our CCD classes.

I think the older kids in the neighborhood who went to school in the 50s and 60s had more rigid rules to follow.

That was a great interview - I agree with poster above - they allow people to talk. American interviewers are always interrupting and have everything split into 90 second segments - no one talks at any great length.

I'd see her show.

[quote] American interviewers are always interrupting and have everything split into 90 second segments - no one talks at any great length.

And they all have an agenda.

Depending on what the corporate office dictates.

Fucking rats.

Great interview. For the poster upthread who said UK and aireland are basically the same 🤭 🤣

It makes me sad the US President has no decorum, decency, respect or humility.

I cannot imagine Eisenhower, Kennedy, even Reagan doing such abhorrently rude things. Let alone going after private citizens and organizing a gestapo.

Can we have a class act in the White House again? People complained Obama was a do nothing President but he was respectful and thoughtful at least.

[quote]People complained Obama was a do nothing President

Yeah, that health care thing...

[quote]Everything moves at a snail's pace in Ireland...very inefficient.

What's the huge hurry?

I submitted my online Irish passport renewal application two months ago on a Monday. The passport book and passport card were sent to the main post office in Dublin that afternoon, and on Wednesday afternoon of that same week I had a notice from my local post office in Spain.

Good for her.. Fuck Trump. If I was on his shit list I'd be paranoid that he was bugging my house and phone and I'd probably be right. That old perv probably has toilet cams.

Her Penny Marshall impression lol

[quote] Everything moves at a snail's pace in Ireland...very inefficient.

Is Ireland a 3rd World country?

Do you know it takes 7 months for them to approve a will of your dead relative?

r50, I didn't say Ireland and the UK were the same. I said morning talk shows in Ireland and the UK (and all over Europe) were of the same great low-key quality.

I'm disappointed. She should have stayed and fought him, that's the only way we can win.

I’d go if my job was more transportable and my parents were more financially independent.

R49 - actually the 'talk' part of any interview in America lasts around 60 seconds, then it's straight into plugging whatever film, tv show, book, concert, etc.

It's all about promotion. US talk shows weren't like that in the 70s - look at old Johnny Carson.

But now it is definitely agenda driven for sales. It makes sense - but the human interest portion of it seemed to get removed.

I have to wonder if studios and networks reserve or block out spots on the shows to coincide with planned movie/other release dates.

Yes - clearly Rosie was plugging her show but it was already sold out?

So Trump is over in Scotland to intimidate her...

[quote]Ultimately she's one of the one-percenters who can easily make these choices.

She is but, to be fair, he really does not like her and he has zero problem going after anyone that ever crossed him at this point.

The President popped up on his platform posting about revoking her citizenship when he found out she moved just because she pissed him off 20 years ago. That's a strange level of petty for someone in that position. Now he's going after celebs who endorsed Kamala publicly. Even if he were to actually do nothing, crazy people will hear what he said and who knows if they try and do something themselves.

She would have had a lot of trouble if she stayed.

Yes, sounds like what a man with small penis would do

My doomsdayer friend says you can't move to Ireland because you won't find housing. He says it is not difficult, it is impossible.

I guess if you promise to build apartments they'll let you in?

One MUST become bicontinental!

What did she say about Madonna?

Rosie was the original never Trumper.

He doesn't like her because she told the truth about him. He can't have that!

R59...Totally agree! Your logic is greatly underappreciated here, I'm sure. Someone of Rosie's stature & means really sidelined her ability & privilege of being a vocal thorn in the side of this administration. Instead she chose to give in to her cowardice & financial comforts. It's no different than all the artists & performers who decided to boycott & refuse to perform at the Kennedy Center. If anything, the opposite was needed. Those artists passed on opportunites to demand to be recognized, to refuse to go away, to stand up to declare their presence in the face of adversity. Instead they relinquished the fort. They retreated, played defeatist politics, allowed themselves to be steamrolled instead of insisting they be counted & forcing themselves against those who they believed wanted to silence them. Ultimately they silenced themselves.

As with Ireland, there is no housing in Canada or New Zealand. What little housing there is is incredibly expensive. Middle class people have trouble affording apartments or buying houses.

The easiest money to spend? Someone else's, beyond doubt.

It's the same for how other people --other people of privilege-- should stay and watch the U.S.S. USA sink. And it is sinking. It seems to me that for someone who is essentially retired (at 63) but for the occasional odd short project, that she's not shying away from speaking out loudly and often about Trump, at every fucking opportunity it seems.

I'm not convinced how noble it is to stay in the U.S. to speak out or take a stand, and I'm less convinced of how useful it is at this point. The wheels are well in motion and have gone too far to be undone by the stupid and racist bumpkins who put Trump in office. Again.

Those mean-spirited dumb shits will feel the pain or ruin of their decisions at some point, bit they will continue to blame anyone by the man at fault -- and themselves. This isn't an temporarily inconvenient and embarrassing time, the U.S. is wrecked and will be a 10 or 15 years getting back to some pale shadow of what people thought its old self was.

O'Donnell I notice usually paints her situation as a temporary response, with her intention stated to return to the U.S. at some better point. Good fucking luck on that time table, and on that turnaround. The US is filled will all sorts of triple speaking out every second of everyday and this has amounted to nothing. Things get worse by the day.

I don't blame her ir anyone else with the ability or means and drive to get the fuck out and fast. There's no salvation in doing the noble thing and watch the country wrecked beyond repair.

[quote]I have to wonder if studios and networks reserve or block out spots on the shows to coincide with planned movie/other release dates.

They do. It's usually part of the contract the celebrity / author signs with the studio / publishing house as far as promotions for the product goes. So if someone is releasing a book, the publisher's promotion department will schedule the talk shows and book signings which the author is contracted to do. A movie studio does the same with an actor - scheduling all the talk shows and 'red carpets' the actor needs to attend, as signed in their contract early on in the project. (And when the celebrity goes on the talk show, there is time scheduled for which they have to talk about the movie / book they're promoting. Often, on 'The View', the conversation will start off with personal conversation, then one of the hosts will bring it to a halt and say, 'Now we have to talk about the new movie you're in...').

I believe the subject of what the celebrity is contracted to do was all covered in the media when Mo'Nique was accused of not fulfilling her contractual obligations with the movie 'Precious' years ago. Tyler Perry and Oprah said she had to appear in certain major markets, while Mo'Nique disagreed - saying it was not in her contract. It became a messy situation and to this day, she says Perry and Oprah 'blackballed' her in Hollywood.

Life is short, R70. If Rosie prefers not to live in a country poisoned by Trump, I can hardly blame her, especially considering his longtime hatred of her.

[quote] If I was on his shit list I'd be paranoid

And you'd be smart. Remember what Dump did to Kathy Griffin? Put her on a no-fly list. Even when that expired she was pulled into cells in every airport and held for hours.

I don't blame her for leaving. He joked about revoking her citizenship, or maybe it was real, who knows with that loose cannon. Who knows if he has put his out on people or mob connections.