NEWSRosie O'Donnell Uses 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' Debut to Taunt Donald Trump: 'I Know You're Watching'
Rosie O’Donnell made her ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ guest-hosting debut during Jimmy Kimmel’s summer break.
Aug. 20 2026, Published 8:33 a.m. ET
Rosie O’Donnell returned to late night exactly where Jimmy Kimmel wanted her: directly in President Donald Trump’s line of sight.
O’Donnell made her guest-hosting debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on August 17, stepping in for Kimmel during his summer break and leaning into her decades-long feud with Trump without letting it swallow the entire show.
Rosie O’Donnell used her opening monologue to directly address her longtime feud with Donald Trump.
She walked out in a bright pink floral suit to long applause and chants of “RO-SIE! RO-SIE!” Then she gave the audience the premise.
“If you thought the president hated Jimmy Kimmel Live! when it was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, buckle up, people! Buckle up,” she warned.
A Message for Donald Trump
The comedian joked about her move to Ireland following Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory.
O’Donnell turned straight to the camera and said, “Hi! I know you’re watching!”
She never said Trump’s name during the monologue, but the target was obvious. O’Donnell joked that she moved to Ireland after Trump’s 2024 election win.
“I’ve been living in Ireland for the past two years because of ‘Mango Mussolini,’” she said. “I read that Project 2025 and said, ‘Gotta get myself out of here!’”
She added that Ireland is “a place where people are driven to drink regardless of who’s running their country.”
O’Donnell also turned the feud into a family anecdote, joking that her child told classmates, “I’m being forced to move to another country because the president of the United States hates my mother. But in all fairness, I believe my mother hates him more."
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Jimmy Kimmel’s ‘Special Treat’
Rosie O’Donnell praised Jimmy Kimmel’s support for entertainers speaking out against the government.
Kimmel announced O’Donnell as one of his guest hosts in June, calling the booking “a special treat” for Trump.
O’Donnell told Variety she was surprised by the offer because she and Kimmel once had an “adversarial relationship” and she had never even been a guest on his show.
“I support [Kimmel] in what he’s doing with the First Amendment, and our ability as entertainers and citizens to speak out against our government,” O’Donnell told the outlet. “And I wish that Stephen Colbert had the same kind of support when it happened to him, because he shouldn’t be gone either.”
A Softer Moment
She became emotional while remembering Hayden Panettiere during her late-night debut.
O’Donnell’s debut was not all Trump needling. Between guests, she became emotional while remembering Hayden Panettiere, who died August 16 at 36.
“I’m just heartbroken over the passing of Hayden Panettiere last night,” O’Donnell said.
“She was on my show many times as a little girl, and I got to know her as a grown woman,” she added. “She was so brave talking about mental health before people were really ready to hear about it.”
