Rosie O'Donnell launched a sustained tirade about President Donald Trump at a Northern Ireland bar on Thursday, eyewitnesses told The Post, as news circulated that ABC had suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely. The remarks were delivered inside the Old Commercial Bar and Lounge, a pub near the town of Downpatrick that locals nickname Mannie's.
Eyewitnesses described a roughly 20-minute session in which the former View co-host criticized Trump and the political culture surrounding late-night television. "Now Trump gets to decide who tells late-night jokes," she allegedly said, according to those present. The mood was described as intense but convivial, with O'Donnell drinking Smithwick's Red Ale alongside other American travelers. Barry Gilliland, the pub's landlord, said he served her during a "friendly exchange" as she sat with companions. Earlier in the day, O'Donnell had posted anti-Trump messages on Instagram, including a post deriding "f— this fascist administration and corrupt corporate executives. Bowing to the orange monster – America is no more."
The suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! followed controversy over comments about Trump and his allies tied to Charlie Kirk. ABC said the show would remain off the air indefinitely while it reviews the matter, and Kimmel's staff has been left scrambling in the wake of the decision. Asked about the tirade, Kimmel's team declined to comment, and a representative for O'Donnell did not respond to requests for comment.
The feud between O'Donnell and Trump stretches back nearly two decades. The comedian and former co-host of The View famously labeled Trump a "snake-oil salesman" during a 2006 appearance, during a period of intense public sparring. In a March interview, O'Donnell said she had moved to a Dublin suburb and was pursuing Irish citizenship through her grandparents, a bid she later acknowledged had not yet been approved by immigration officials. She has repeatedly criticized what she calls fascism in the United States, and she has argued the Constitution's 14th Amendment protects citizenship for those born on U.S. soil, including herself (she was born in Commack, New York).
Ardglass, a fishing village near Downpatrick, is the setting for Mannie's, the pub where the incident unfolded, drawing a mix of locals and visitors amid a backdrop of a centuries-old harbor town. The episode has drawn attention to the broader cross-border spotlight on U.S. media figures and their online and on-air political commentary as late-night TV undergoes upheaval and executives navigate a fragile media landscape.
As the reporting continues, fresh context emerges about Kimmel's suspension and the wider industry response to remarks tied to the dispute, underscoring how political tensions have become part of the conversation around media personalities abroad.
