Tom Cruise Gets Rosie O’Donnell’s Surprising Take on Her Famous '90s Obsession: 'I Will Always Love' Him

Tom Cruise still has a loyal admirer in Rosie O’Donnell.

"I love Tom Cruise and I will always love Tom Cruise," O’Donnell said on the August 11 episode of Amy Poehler’s "Good Hang" podcast.

The former talk show host explained that her feelings were never sexual, sharing why she remains fond of the Mission: Impossible star.

O’Donnell, who publicly came out as a lesbian in 2002, reflected on her reaction to Luke Evans’ performance in The Rocky Horror Show on Broadway.

"Makes a girl think—gay girl, too," she said.

She continued, "I was like, 'I don't know what your deal is, sir, but come over near me and let me smell you.'"

But the 64-year-old then described the kind of interaction she would actually welcome.

"I don't want you naked in my bed—I'm not interested in the downtown mechanics—but I would like you to maybe have lunch with me and get me a lemonade," she revealed.

Poehler also pointed to O’Donnell’s long-running public fascination with Cruise, prompting O’Donnell to recall how she once described her feelings for him.

"I often said, 'I don’t want him in bed. I want him to mow my lawn and bring me an iced tea,'" she admitted.

The comedian also remembered the reaction she received after publicly coming out.

"When I finally did come out and people were shocked, I was like, 'How the h--- are you shocked?' And they’re like, 'The Tom Cruise thing.' I’m like, 'How much clearer did I have to be?'" she said.

After The Rosie O’Donnell Show premiered in 1996, Cruise appeared on the program in December of that year, where he gave her flowers and multiple kisses.

"Every year, I think, 'What a classy guy he is that he has never forgotten my birthday,'" she said during a 2021 SiriusXM radio appearance.

Since then, the pair have remained in touch.

She added, "A lot of people say to me, 'It's just his secretary.' But I don't believe that. I think he knows in early March, 'Oh, it's Rosie's birthday coming up.' And he sends me something every single year for 25 years."

O’Donnell also discussed filming a s-- scene with longtime friend Cynthia Nixon for And Just Like That…

She played Sister Mary, a nun who broke her vow of chastity after meeting Nixon’s Miranda Hobbes at a bar.

"[It was] horrifying to me because I was so nervous," O’Donnell explained.

She added, "I love her and have so much respect for her."

O’Donnell recalled how Nixon first approached her about the scene.

"She called me, and she's like, 'Ro, Michael Patrick wrote you a scene, and it's with me. Will you do it?'" O’Donnell said.

"I said, 'Of course I'll do it with you.' Then, I read it, and I'm in bed with just the sheets. I'm like, 'Oh my G--,'" she added.

"The kissing wasn't hard, but the laying in bed and wanting us to act like we had just done it. I was like, 'Uhh,'" she revealed.

O’Donnell also admitted that she struggled on set.

"Michael said, 'You guys can be a little bit more,'" she recalled. "And I'm thinking, 'I can't really.'"

"It's a skill. It really is," she added. "But I’m a little immature when it comes to that."