ENTERTAINMENTRosie O'Donnell Reveals the 'Worst' Talk Show Guest She's Ever Had: 'Not Good'
Rosie O'Donnell spilled the tea about her years as a TV host and revealed which A-list celebrity was the 'worst' to interview on her eponymous talk show.
Oct. 16 2025, Published 3:42 p.m. ET
Rosie O’Donnell got honest about which A-list celebrity was the “worst” to interview on her former talk show.
“One of the worst, who I love the guy, but he’s not good on [a] talk show,” O’Donnell, 63, explained during an appearance on the “Sam Pang Tonight” on Monday, October 13. “Keanu Reeves.”
Rosie O'Donnell Revealed Her 'Worst' Talk Show Guest
Rosie O'Donnell revealed that Keanu Reeves was her 'worst guest' on the show.
Reeves, 61, appeared on O’Donnell’s show back in 1997, and while the host described him as a “lovely man and good-hearted guy,” she admitted there was one reason why he didn’t make for a great guest.
“He’s so sweet, he looks gorgeous, I love all his movies, but he would not answer a question,” she recounted. “I’d say, ‘So, Keanu, how’s it going? How are you feeling?’ [He’d respond] ‘Good.’ We were live. We couldn’t re-tape. I finally said after three minutes, ‘You know, Keanu, it is a talk show. You have to talk.'"
Keanu Reeves Later Redeemed Himself in 2021
Keanu Reeves later redeemed himself after returning to Rosie O'Donnell's show in 2001.
O’Donnell explained that Reeves eventually redeemed himself when returning to her show in 2001, adding, “He got the hang of it.”
The beloved talk show host also went over the “best guest” to ever grace her show, giving the honor to Only Murders in the Building star Martin Short.
“Because you come out and say, ‘How you doing, Marty?’ and it’s over for you,” she revealed. “He stands up and he goes, ‘I’m here!’ He was the funniest and the nicest guy, so I would say Marty Short was definitely one of the best.”
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Rosie O'Donnell Recalled Interview With Tom Selleck
Rosie O'Donnell recounted an interview with actor Tom Selleck in 1999.
The Rosie O’Donnell Show alum also recalled her notorious 1999 interview with actor Tom Selleck, during which they clashed over gun laws in the aftermath of the Columbine school shooting.
“It was very awkward. I had never been unkind or controversial, but Columbine had just happened,” the former talk show host said. “It was 1999. He had an ad in the magazines that said, ‘I am the NRA. Shooting teaches children good values.’ And I was so torn up about Columbine that I just didn’t give up. And then, like an innocent idiot, I walked off-stage and said to my staff, ‘Do you think that’ll get any press?’”
Tom Selleck Was the 'First Time' She Ever 'Challenged a Celebrity'
Rosie O'Donnell said Tom Selleck was the 'first time' she ever challenged a celebrity.
O’Donnell has reflected on her clash with the Stone Cold actor, 80, in the past, revealing it was the “first time” she ever “challenged a celebrity" during an interview.
“Every other one I was nice to. If they said, ‘Please, let’s not talk about my divorce or my recent drug addiction, drug rehab,’ I would do what they asked,” she told People in 2021. “I was not a ‘get you’ kind of interview; I had no desire to make anyone feel uncomfortable.”
