It’s been over 10 years since Rosie O’Donnell was last on daytime TV, but the 64-year-old has now teased a possible return, sharing what she would need from a new talk show to say “yes.”
2026 has seen Rosie return to the spotlight with a one-woman comedy show and the vulnerable admission she had received plastic surgery, a decision that surprised many, as the mother of five had spent most of her career publicly condemning other women’s use of surgery.
Now, as Rosie prepares to guest host Jimmy Kimmel Live on August 17 – making her the oldest female late-night host ever – the comedian, and former host of The View, said her agents are “taking meetings” and figuring out the “best options.”
“I think the time for celebrity culture has died down,” Rosie said, admitting that she was sick of the “same lead-in questions” and the “same stories” told on each daily talk show.
“I’d like to do mostly human interest stories, tell good news, have fun and games with people like we used to, get to have Broadway on — and if a celebrity wants to come on and chat, that’s fantastic, but it wouldn’t be because they had a movie to promote.”
© Ron Galella Collection via GettyRosie, speaking on the podcast The Tangle, added that she believes “America wants nostalgia” and that her pitch to potential guests would simply be: “Who wants to come and have fun for 20 minutes?”
Between 1996 and 2002 Rosie hosted her titular daytime talk show. It netted her 11 daytime Emmy awards segments, and included the traditional opening stand-up monologues as well as interviews, musical performances, cooking demonstrations, and recurring comedy sketches.
The Rosie O’Donnell Show was the blueprint for current shows such as The Kelly Clarkson Show and The Drew Barrymore Show; Kelly’s show will conclude at the end of 2026 after seven seasons.
© Disney General Entertainment ConAfter the show ended Rosie became a host of The View, but she left in 2007 amid reports of backstage friction and clashes with co-host Whoopi Goldberg, an on-air argument with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck. She returned for five months in 2014 and 2015.
But Rosie does have one caveat for a new show – she would not want to return to the small screen until President Donald Trump has left office, in January 2029.
“That’s when I’d want it to start, and that’s when the healing must begin,” she said.
© Bruce Glikas/Getty ImagesRosie and Trump have had a feud for over 20 years which began when she criticized him in 2006 on The View. In the two decades since, both have taken public jabs at the other, including from Trump after he became President in 2016 and 2024.
Rosie also currently lives in Ireland, moving with her youngest daughter Clay on January 15, 2025, days before Trump’s second presidential inauguration.
© Getty ImagesIn the last year Rosie has been open about the changes she has made, including a 60-lb weight loss transformation after taking a GLP-1 medication.
In May, in an emotional Substack essay, Rosie shared that the weight loss left her feeling like her face was “melting” due to excess skin. She began to consider a facelift, to which 13-year-old daughter Clay said that she “wouldn’t be able to respect you if you did it.”
The comment led to Rosie realizing her rigid stance on women’s bodies had impacted how her own daughter approached autonomy of her own body.
© Rosie O’Donnell“If I’m teaching Clay anything, it can’t be that my body belongs to an idea either. Even a good idea. Even feminism,” wrote Rosie.
Rosie is also mom to sons Parker and Blake, and daughters Vivienne and Chelsea. She welcomed her eldest four with ex-wife Kelli Carpenter, and adopted Clay with late ex-wife Michelle Rounds
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