Rosie O'Donnell concluded her tenure as a guest host on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' on Thursday, delivering a final round of barbs directed at former President Donald Trump. Throughout her week filling in for Kimmel during his summer break, O'Donnell frequently referenced the president, often using derogatory nicknames.
In her final monologue on Thursday, O'Donnell referred to Trump as "orange Voldemort" and thanked Jimmy Kimmel for the opportunity, stating it reminded everyone of their right to free speech, "whether orange Voldemort likes it or not." She also directed a message to those watching from the White House, mockingly referring to the president as "President Petty Roosevelt" and suggesting he should "hang up your wig."
During Tuesday's broadcast, O'Donnell thanked Trump for her renewed public attention, attributing her return to the spotlight to him. She mentioned her departure from the U.S. following Trump's 2024 election victory, stating she moved to Ireland and considered returning only when the country was "safe for all citizens to have equal rights." O'Donnell also referenced the Project 2025 initiative as a reason for her move.
Her comments during the week also included remarks about Trump's perceived political actions, comparing his return to the forefront of politics to the resurgence of "fascism and the measles." O'Donnell recounted an anecdote about her child informing classmates of their move abroad because "the president of the United States hates my mother."
The decades-long feud between O'Donnell and Trump dates back to 2006 when O'Donnell, then a co-host on 'The View,' criticized Trump's handling of a Miss USA winner's controversial behavior. O'Donnell described Trump as a "snake-oil salesman on ‘Little House On The Prairie.’" Trump responded by calling O'Donnell "a real loser" and "a woman out of control."
In 2025, O'Donnell stated in a TikTok video that she would consider returning to the U.S. when it was safe for all citizens to have equal rights. She later appeared on an Irish radio show in 2025, discussing her opposition to Trump, whom she called "a racist, and he's misogynistic, and he's sexist, and he is a danger to women and children all over the world."
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle responded to O'Donnell's comments, calling her "a nasty woman and a total slob whose brain has been completely destroyed by Trump Derangement Syndrome."