Rosie O'Donnell Calls Out Donald Trump During 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' Hosting Debut as Feud Heats Up: 'I Know You're Watching'

Rosie O'Donnell taunted President Donald Trump during her Monday, August 17, debut as the guest host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, warning the audience to "buckle up" because of their decades-long feud.

Filling in for Jimmy Kimmel for a week-long stint, the actress delivered an opening monologue that frequently took aim at the sitting president without ever mentioning him by name.

O'Donnell opened the episode by noting she had not hosted a talk show in nearly 30 years, then quickly shifting her attention toward the White House.

“I haven’t t behind a desk on TV in almost 30 years and a lot has changed since the ‘90s. Well, back then, there was a war in the Middle East. Climate change was ravaging our planet, we had a president who was embroiled in scandals. But today, everything is so chill,” she quipped.

"And if you thought the president hated Jimmy Kimmel Live! when it was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, buckle up, people, buckle up," she joked to roaring applause.

She discussed her move to Ireland following Trump's 2024 election victory, jokingly attributing her relocation to "Mango Mussolini" and Project 2025.

“I’ve been living in Ireland the last two years because of ‘Mango Mussolini.’ I read that Project 2025 and said, ‘I’ve gotta get myself out of here.’ I decided to go to Ireland, a place where people are driven to drink regardless of who’s running their country. I decided to move and I took my little then-11-year-old kid with me and I just said, ‘Whatever you do, don’t tell anyone. We don’t want a lot of press and a lot of paparazzi. So, please don’t tell anyone,’” she joked.

O'Donnell shared a story about her child, Clay, telling classmates about the relocation anyway.

“They’re a pretty smart kid, they got it. They said, ‘Don’t worry, I won’t,’ and then went to school and proceeded to tell their entire class [they were moving to another country] because ‘the President of the United States hates my mother. But, in all fairness, I believe my mother hates him more,’” the comedian said.

She then looked directly into the lens, waved and stated, "Hi, I know you're watching."

She closed out the monologue by mocking Trump's known obsession with media coverage, quipping, "And you know, right now he's in the White House crying because I haven't mentioned him.”

The late-night appearance marks the latest chapter in a bitter public feud that dates back to 2006.

The rivalry intensified significantly when the POTUS used his Truth Social platform to call O'Donnell a "Threat to humanity" and threatened to take away her U.S. citizenship.

O'Donnell described her small-town Irish community as her "refuge and salvation" during the political turmoil but returned to late-night specifically for this guest hosting block.

Despite the buzz, O'Donnell clarified on social media that she has no interest in permanently hosting late-night television and will return to Ireland once her week-long hosting duties conclude.

Her guest lineup includes Jean Smart, Charlie Day and Richard Gadd, leading up to Kimmel's scheduled return on September 8.