Rosie O'Donnell recalls 'painful' fallout with Ellen DeGeneres in emotional admission

For years, female comedy collaborators Rosie O'Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres were as thick as thieves.

Not only were they jointly changing entertainment prospects for women in America - with the former fronting The Rosie O'Donnell Show, and the latter taking the lead in her titular sitcom Ellen - but the pair paved the way for LGBTQ+ representation on the small screen.

Though O'Donnell was not yet out herself, after DeGeneres revealed in 2002 she was a lesbian, her gal pal was said to have held her hand throughout the courageous endeavour.

Talk-show host O'Donnell also credited her friend of 'over 25 years' for having formed a close bond with her adopted son, Parker Jaren O'Donnell, and supported her when she came out herself in 2002.

O'Donnell and DeGeneres once boasted a close friendship (Christopher Polk / Contributor)

Naturally, therefore, the funny-woman was pained in 2004, when DeGeneres claimed during an interview on Larry King Live that she 'doesn't know' O'Donnell, adding at the time: "We're not friends."

In the years since, the mother-of-five - who has since adopted a further four children - has spoken openly about how their unexpected fallout hurt her, claiming it felt like a public betrayal.

Naturally, therefore, when news hit headlines earlier this year that DeGeneres, 67, had voiced her public support of her former friend after O'Donnell fled the States for Ireland following Republican leader Donald Trump's second inauguration, many followers of their feud hoped they might have put the past behind them.

Speaking on the No Filter podcast this week, however, O'Donnell admitted she still feels blindsided about what went down. Reflecting on their friendship, the Now and Then actress began by explaining that DeGeneres was once 'in the same position' she'd been years prior.

O'Donnell reflected on their fall-out earlier this week

She added: "Instead of deciding to stand next to me and hold my hand, which is what I did to her, she did the opposite."

O'Donnell went on to describe DeGeneres' brutal claim as 'one of the most painful things that ever happened to me in show business and my life'.

"I couldn't believe it. I have photos of her holding my newborn babies. I knew her for 30 years," the mum added.

Claiming she believes 'in [Ellen's] mind', 'I keep rehashing it for pleasure', O'Donnell went on to insist she 'would have apologised' to DeGeneres, had she known what her issue was.

"I don't rehash it for pleasure," she continued. "I rehash it because our careers have taken sort of parallel, interwoven paths."

After catching wind of her heartache during O'Donnell's 2022 appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, DeGeneres supposedly reached out to apologise, claiming she'd had no idea she'd caused such upset.

DeGeneres and wife Portia, as well as O'Donnell, have left the US since Trump's inauguration (Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for RH)

O'Donnell subsequently told The Hollywood Reporter: "She texted me a few weeks ago checking in, seeing how I’m doing, and I asked her how she’s surviving not being on TV. It’s a big transition."

She added: "I guess she saw me talk about it on Andy Cohen’s show. She wrote, 'I’m really sorry, and I don’t remember that.'. O'Donnell went on to write back, telling DeGeneres she 'remembered it so well' that she'd printed T-shirts reading her words, and 'gave them to my staff'.

She lastly claimed at the time: "I knew her for so many years. It just felt like, I don’t trust this person to be in my world."

After O'Donnell left America for Ireland (where she also held citizenship) earlier this year, whilst citing Trump's harmful policies - many of which affect LGBTQ+ citizens - DeGeneres wrote to her ex-pal on Instagram 'Good for you'.

In 2024, DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi also fled the States for the UK, insisting she wouldn't return until Trump had left office.