Rosie O’Donnell stated that ABC executives blocked her from performing a parody song mocking President Donald Trump while hosting “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” The comedian had intended to perform a reworked version of the Scarecrow's song "If I Only Had a Brain" from "The Wizard of Oz" during her upcoming week as guest host.
O’Donnell shared the details on the “On With Kara Swisher” podcast, explaining that permission for the parody was denied due to its political content. She described the decision as "absurd."
According to O’Donnell, the song includes lyrics such as, "His approval rate is 30, his diaper’s always dirty, I think the guy’s insane — da, da, da, da, da, da — He ain’t no stable genius, got a teeny, tiny penis, and he doesn’t have a brain."
She has performed the song, which has received a "tremendous" response from audiences during her off-Broadway one-woman show, "Common Knowledge." O'Donnell also recently shared the song on TikTok, adding further lyrics that satirize Trump’s actions, including his involvement in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation, reports of him nodding off in meetings, and his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
O'Donnell's show is scheduled to conclude on Saturday, after which she will travel to Los Angeles to host Kimmel's program for the week of August 17. She expressed her intention to engage with the show's writers and team to maintain a comedic yet truthful approach to addressing the president, similar to Kimmel's style.