Rosie O'Donnell shared her surprise at being chosen to guest host "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," citing a past "adversarial relationship" with the late-night host. Despite their history, O'Donnell said she accepted the role due to her shared hostility towards former President Donald Trump and her support for Kimmel's critical commentary.
O'Donnell began her guest-hosting duties on Monday and will continue through Thursday. She told Variety that while she and Kimmel had not previously been close, occasional texts and interactions at parties had fostered a more amicable connection. A turning point, she indicated, was reaching out to Kimmel after the death of his uncle, Frank Potenza.
"When everything happened with his uncle dying, I wrote him and he wrote back," O'Donnell said. "So, when my publicist called and said, ‘Do you want to guest-host ‘Kimmel’ for a week?’ I said, ‘I haven’t ever even been a guest!’ And then I said, ‘If you’re positive that that’s an actual offer, and he wants me to do it, then I most certainly will.’ I was surprised, to tell you the truth, and very thankful."
O'Donnell also stated that a significant motivation for her was the chance to criticize Trump and to support Kimmel's public stances. She referenced Kimmel's show being temporarily suspended by ABC in the past, and expressed her belief in entertainers' and citizens' rights to speak out against the government, as protected by the First Amendment.
On her first night guest hosting, O'Donnell used the platform to address Trump directly and criticize his administration.
During her discussion about the media landscape, O'Donnell also voiced criticism of Bari Weiss and the proposed merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery. She drew a strong parallel between people associating with Trump and being in a room with Nazis, suggesting history would record those actions.
NewsBusters executive editor Tim Graham responded to O'Donnell's remarks, calling her comments about Weiss and "60 Minutes" unintelligent and unfounded. He suggested that O'Donnell might be implying Kimmel's choice to book her as a guest host was a strategic move for "anti-Trump trolling."