Comedian Rosie O'Donnell confirmed she moved away from the U.S. and has been living a "pretty wonderful" life in Ireland with her daughter Dakota.
The former daytime talk show host said she left the country on January 15, which was less than a week before Republican President Donald Trump's inauguration for his second White House term.
She never mentioned Trump by name as a reason for her exit from the U.S.
In a 9-minute-long video post, she described her new idyllic lifestyle as a warm one, albeit not physically warm.
"The people are so loving, so kind, so welcoming, and I'm very grateful," said the 62-year-old Commack, New York native.
She explained she was in the process of obtaining her Irish citizenship as her grandparents were Irish.
O'Donnell, whose father Edward Joseph O'Donnell had emigrated from County Donegal, Ireland during his childhood, said she never saw herself as someone who would move to another country. However, she recently decided the relocation "would be the best for myself and my 12-year-old child.”
While she doesn't plan on returning to the U.S. anytime soon, she's not ruling out the prospect of an American homecoming.
“I’m happy. Clay is happy. I miss my other kids. I miss my friends," said the mother of five.
She then mentioned a possible return to the States, but under one condition.
O'Donnell continued:
"I miss many things about life there at home and I’m trying to find a home here in this beautiful country and when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that’s when we will consider coming back."
Here is her TikTok video.
O'Donnell, who once clashed with Trump and castigated 47's Time magazine cover in a TikTok rant in December, shared her thoughts on the current division and tensions in the U.S.
“It’s been heartbreaking to see what’s happening politically and hard for me personally, as well," she said without specifying the policies affecting her LGBTQ+ community.
Currently, conservatives in at least nine states are lobbying to undermine same-sex marriages by urging SCOTUS to overturn the 2015 landmark ruling Obergefell v. Hodges that granted same-sex couples the right to marry nationwide.
Additional lawmakers have introduced bills that would create the category of “covenant marriage” meant for one man and one woman if signed into law.
“The personal is political, as we all know," said O'Donnell.
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Meanwhile, the Irish have welcomed her back to the homeland.
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She also encouraged her American followers to speak out and “demand that we follow the Constitution in our country," adding:
“And not a king, not a man and we don’t have cruelty as part of our governing style."
O'Donnell concluded the video by encouraging fans back home to stay as positive as humanly possible, given the current situation.
“Protect your sanity is all I can say. Protect your sanity as much as you can, and try not to swim in the chaos if possible."
"But I know it’s nearly impossible when you’re there in the middle of it."
"I think of everyone every day, and the United States of America, and I'm hoping we can turn things around," she said, adding that she was "counting on you, all of you, to do what's right. I think we all know what that is, deep down inside."
The comedian joins a list of celebrities who left the country over the last few months, citing various reasons from politics to gun violence, including Ellen DeGeneres & Portia de Rossi, Richard Gere, Minnie Driver, Sophie Turner, and Eva Longoria.
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