Rosie O'Donnell has displayed a new tattoo on her wrist featuring the word "they," intended as a permanent reminder of her nonbinary teenager's preferred pronouns. However, during a recent podcast appearance, O'Donnell repeatedly used "she/her" pronouns when referring to the child, despite the prominent ink.
O'Donnell, 64, shared the story on Amy Poehler's "Good Hang" podcast, explaining that her 13-year-old child, Clay, came out as nonbinary in 2024. "It’s very hard, honey," O'Donnell said, acknowledging her difficulty in consistently using "they/them" pronouns. "And [gender-neutral pronouns] really matters to them and I know it matters to them. And so when they first told me that it was they/them, I tried my best, but I kept saying ‘she.'"
Clay, who previously went by the name Dakota, reportedly used a piece of cardboard with "they" written on it as a visual cue for O'Donnell. O'Donnell then took this cue card to a tattoo parlor to have the word inked in Clay's handwriting.
O'Donnell stated she expected her child to be moved by the gesture but was surprised by Clay's reaction. "I had it tattooed on my wrist so that I would never forget, that it would remind me. And I thought she’d be very touched … she didn’t give two s–ts. She could not care less," O'Donnell recalled, again misgendering her child in the same anecdote.
She further illustrated her struggles, exclaiming, "I just [said she] again in the ‘they’ story! I messed it up!"
O'Donnell, who has been living in Ireland since the 2024 U.S. presidential election, adopted Clay during her marriage to Michelle Rounds. Clay joined O'Donnell in Ireland in January 2025. O'Donnell also has four older adopted children from her previous relationship with Kelli Carpenter.