Comedian and former talk-show host Rosie O’Donnell has joined the growing list of celebrities who have talked about leaving the United States or have already left, citing the president and current political climate as reasons.
In a video posted on TikTok on Tuesday, the 62-year-old said that she had moved to Ireland on Jan. 15 and was currently in the process of getting her Irish citizenship as she has Irish grandparents.
And even though she didn’t mention Trump by name, she said, “It’s been heartbreaking to see what’s happening politically and hard for me personally as well. The personal is political, as we all know.”
The League of Their Own star described her move to Ireland saying, “It’s been pretty wonderful, I have to say. The people are so loving and so kind, so welcoming. And I’m very grateful.”
WATCH | O’Donnell’s life update on TikTok:
The mother of five went on to say, “Although I was never someone who thought I would move to another country, that’s what I decided would be the best for myself and my 12-year-old child.” She added that her child Clay’s service dog, Kuma, made the trip as well and loves taking walks on the cliffs overlooking the Irish sea.
“I miss my other kids. I miss my friends. I miss many things about life there at home, and I’m trying to find a home here in this beautiful country,” O’Donnell said. “And when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that’s when we will consider coming back.”
The Flintstones actress explained her brief absence from TikTok: “I just felt like we needed to take care of ourselves and make some hard decisions and follow through,” she said. “And now as we’re getting settled, I was ready to post this and to tell everybody what’s been going on.”
O’Donnell is not the only celebrity to move out of the U.S. in recent months. Personalities including Ellen DeGeneres, Cher, Barbra Streisand, Sophie Turner and James Cameron have either left or spoken about moving.
There’s chatter online about Americans moving to Canada from the U.S. after Trump’s election win. But will it actually trigger an immigration rush?
In fact, Google search data last year showed a surge in the number of Americans who were searching for information about moving to Canada following Trump’s election win. Even 2SLGBTQ+ aid organization Rainbow Railroad said there was a massive spike in the number of Americans looking to leave the country immediately after Trump returned to the White House.
Long-running feud
During Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday, a reporter for Real America’s Voice, a Trump-supporting news outlet, asked the Irish PM, “Ireland is known for very happy, fun loving people… why in the world would you let Rosie O’Donnell move to Ireland? I think she is going to lower your happiness level.”
To this, Trump responded: “Thank you. I like that question.”
And while the prime minister chuckled and seemed a bit puzzled by the question, Trump asked him, “Do you know you have Rosie O’Donnell? Do you know who she is?” before saying, “You’re better off not knowing.”
The president’s glee at the question was just the latest in a long-running verbal feud between O’Donnell, Trump, and his supporters.
The two have been trading verbal blows going back to 2006 when O’Donnell, then host of daytime talk show The View, criticized Trump on-air following a news conference he held with Miss USA Tara Conner who was involved in an underage drinking scandal.
WATCH | White House reporter’s question about O’Donnell’s move to Ireland:
The White House had said in late-February that it would decide which media organizations participate in the press pool that covers the president, wresting control away from the group of journalists that has done so for decades.
“The mainstream media has been letting us all down there in America, where the fourth estate is required in order to maintain a democracy,” said O’Donnell. “Here’s hoping that they will get better before it’s too late and here’s hoping it’s not too late already.”
She encouraged her fans “to stand up, to use their voice, to protest, to demand that we follow the constitution in our country, and not a king, not a man and we don’t have cruelty as part of our governing style.”
O’Donnell also mentioned “TikTok had kind of gone a little bit dark and negative” for her with all the hate that comes through, and that she is now trying Substack.
She concluded by wishing her fans and encouraging them to turn things around and do what’s right: “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.”
