It’s been a minute since Rosie O’Donnell was the undisputed "Queen of Nice," handing out Koosh balls and swooning over Tom Cruise on daytime TV. Honestly, the 2020s have been a total whirlwind for her. If you’ve been scrolling through TikTok lately, you might have noticed her face popping up in a much different setting—usually a cozy, somewhat overcast room in Ireland.
Yeah, she moved. Rosie O’Donnell now lives in the Emerald Isle, and it wasn’t just for a vacation.
She basically packed up her life in Los Angeles and headed across the Atlantic in January 2025, right around the time the political climate in the U.S. shifted again. It’s a massive change for someone who was once the heartbeat of American pop culture. But if you follow her, you know Rosie doesn't do anything halfway. She’s currently navigating life as an expat with her youngest child, Dakota (who goes by Clay), and she seems to be finding a level of peace that eluded her for years in the States.
The Big Move: Why Ireland?
Most people assume this was just a "celebrity threat" to leave the country that actually happened. But for Rosie, it was more personal. She’s been very open about her family’s roots—she’s 100% Irish by descent—and she’s used those ancestral ties to apply for Irish citizenship.
She isn't just sitting in a pub and hiding away, though.
Rosie is actually working. She’s been cast in an Irish sitcom (slated for Summer 2026) and has even been in talks for a weekly talk show over there. Imagine that: the woman who redefined the American talk show format starting over in Dublin. It’s kinda poetic. She told The Washington Post that Clay is so happy in their new home that she’s promised to stay for good, even if things change back in the U.S.
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That Decades-Long Feud is Still Heating Up
You can’t talk about Rosie O'Donnell now without mentioning Donald Trump. It’s the feud that literally will not die. In July 2025, things hit a bizarre new peak when Trump actually threatened to revoke her U.S. citizenship because she moved.
Now, look. Legally, a president can’t just strip birthright citizenship because they don’t like someone’s TikToks. Rosie knows this. She fired back on her Substack, pointing out that she’s a proud U.S. citizen by birth (born in New York) and protected by the 14th Amendment. She’s seeking dual citizenship, not renouncing her American roots. But the back-and-forth has kept her in the headlines more than any acting role could.
The Health Transformation: 50 Pounds and a New Outlook
One of the most visible changes is her physical transformation. Rosie has struggled with her weight in the public eye for thirty years. Remember the Jenny Craig ads? The bariatric surgery in 2013?
Recently, she’s been incredibly transparent about using Mounjaro. She’s lost over 50 pounds and recently shared that she’s down to a size 12. For her, it’s not about "Hollywood skinny"—it's about staying alive. After a massive heart attack in 2012, her perspective on health became pretty blunt. "It’s about not dying," she told followers.
Her daily routine in Ireland looks a lot different than the L.A. life:
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- No more personal chef: She’s doing the cooking herself for her and Clay.
- The Diet Coke habit is gone: She swapped the soda for water (mostly).
- Walking everywhere: The Irish landscape helps with the step count.
- Managing Diabetes: She’s using medication specifically to manage her Type 2 diabetes, which led to the weight loss.
Life as "Nana": The Growing O'Donnell Clan
While she’s across the ocean, her heart is clearly still with her older kids in the States. Rosie is officially a grandmother of four, soon to be five. Her daughter Chelsea has four children (Skylar, Riley, Avery, and Atlas), and her son Blake just announced he and his wife Teresa are expecting a "Baby OD" in March 2026.
It hasn't all been sunshine and sunflowers, though.
Rosie has been very raw about her daughter Chelsea’s struggles with addiction. In late 2025, she shared a throwback photo asking for prayers, acknowledging the "generational abuse and alcoholism" that has haunted her family. It’s that kind of honesty—the kind that makes you feel like you’re talking to a real person, not a PR machine—that keeps her fans so loyal.
Where You’ll See Her in 2026
If you’re looking for her on screen, she hasn’t retired. Aside from the Irish projects, she’s been popping up in recurring roles on shows like Nip/Tuck and The Fosters in the past, and she’s still active in the New York comedy scene when she visits. She actually launched a comedy festival at Lincoln Center recently.
She’s also a force on TikTok. Honestly, it’s where she’s most "Rosie." She posts about everything: the floods in Texas, her therapy sessions, her struggle to stay off social media (her therapist literally told her to "detach," but she admitted it only lasted a few hours), and her life as a mom to a nonbinary child.
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What Most People Get Wrong About Rosie
A lot of people think she’s just "angry" or "political" now. But if you actually watch her long-form interviews, like the ones she’s done on Irish radio (Sunday with Miriam), you see a 63-year-old woman who is just... tired of the noise. She’s someone who has made hundreds of millions of dollars and decided that none of it matters if she doesn't feel safe or peaceful.
She’s also surprisingly humble about her career. She knows she's a "polarizing" figure. She’s okay with that.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Observers
If you want to keep up with Rosie O'Donnell now, there are a few ways to get the real story rather than just the tabloid headlines:
- Follow her TikTok (@rosie): This is her unfiltered home base. She does "coffee talks" that are basically mini-versions of her old show.
- Check her Substack: This is where she goes deep on the legal and political stuff, especially the citizenship drama.
- Watch for her Irish Sitcom: Keep an eye out for international streaming dates in mid-2026.
- Support her charities: Rosie’s Broadway Kids is still her "baby" and a great way to see the "Queen of Nice" side of her legacy.
Rosie’s story isn't over; it’s just moved to a different coast. Whether she stays in Ireland forever or eventually returns to a "safer" America, she’s proving that you’re never too old to completely reinvent your life.