Rosie O’Donnell Reveals She Moved to Ireland in Wake of Trump Election
Rosie O’Donnell is no longer living in the U.S. The actor and comedian posted a nine-minute video on TikTok sharing that she relocated to Ireland shortly before Donald Trump took office for the second time.
“I moved here on Jan. 15 and it’s been pretty wonderful,” the comedian revealed in the clip. She added that she’s in the process of getting her Irish citizenship, which she is entitled to thanks to her Irish grandparents. “Although I was never someone who thought I would move to another country that’s what I decided would be the best for myself and my 12-year-old child,” she said. “And here we are.”
O’Donnell didn’t mention Trump by name, although it was clear in the video that her move was timed to his reelection. She explained that current American politics have been difficult for her to watch. “It has been heartbreaking to see what is happening over there politically and hard for me personally as well,” she noted.
She said that the state of media outlets under the new administration has part of her decision to move. “The mainstream media has been letting us all down in America, where the fourth estate is required to maintain a democracy,” O’Donnell said. “They haven’t been doing their job.”
She added, “I encourage everyone to stand up, to use their voice, to protest, to demand that we follow the constitution in our country, and not a king and not a man and we don’t have cruelty as part of our governing style.”
Although it sounds like O’Donnell’s move is permanent, she acknowledged that there are things she misses about the U.S.
“I miss many things about life there at home and I’m trying to find a home here in this beautiful country,” she said. “And when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that’s when we will consider coming back.”
O’Donnell recently paid tribute to her Harriet the Spy co-star Michelle Trachtenberg after her unexpected death last month. “Heartbreaking,” O’Donnell told Us Weekly. “I loved her very much. She struggled the last few years. I wish I could have helped.”
