Actor and comedian Rosie O'Donnell sarcastically thanked President Donald Trump for reviving her career in remarks during her stint as guest host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday.
O'Donnell and Trump have feuded for years and O'Donnell, fearing the worst once Trump won the 2024 election, moved to Ireland shortly before he was inaugurated. She has cited the risks Project 2025 and Trump's potential retribution pose to her and her nonbinary child.
Last summer, Trump threatened to revoke O'Donnell's citizenship, labeling her a "Threat to Humanity." Trump's post came just days after O’Donnell shared a TikTok video in which she accused Trump of having “gut[ted] all of the early warning systems and the weather‑forecast abilities of the government,” which she said hindered the federal response to deadly floods in Texas.
O'Donnell is stateside temporarily, stepping in for late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, and she pointed out that Trump's disgust has actually brought her a whole new wave of fame with a different generation.
She said:
"This has been sort 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.”
She proceeded to wave to Trump from the stage and 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.”
You can hear what she said in the video below.
People loved her remarks.
Earlier this month, O'Donnell reflected on when she first "told the truth that every New Yorker my age knows about him [Trump]: that he is not a self-made man, that he got his father's money, that he is a grifter, that he is a logo-slapper, that he's not in fact a builder, that his Apprentice days were all fiction sold as fact and people believed them."
In 2006, Trump decided not to fire a Miss USA contestant following revelations of underage drinking, drug use, and sexual activity, which prompted O'Donnell, who was a co-host on The View at the time, to criticize the decision.
At the time, O'Donnell described Trump as “not a self-made man” and referred to him as a “snake-oil salesman on Little House On The Prairie." Trump responded shortly afterward, calling her “a real loser” and “a woman out of control.”
O'Donnell has remained one of his favorite targets since.








Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images





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