Rosie O'Donnell says she secretly returned to US to 'see if it was safe'

Rosie O’Donnell said she secretly returned to the United States for two weeks to see family and to test how hard it would be to get in and out of the country. She told Chris Cuomo on SiriusXM’s Cuomo Mornings that she wanted to hold her children after not being home in over a year; she left the U.S.

in January 2025 with her youngest child, Clay, 13, to live in Ireland. She described practical reasons for the trip, saying she wanted to make sure it was safe before bringing her daughter this summer to spend time off from her schooling with family. O’Donnell said she found “a very different country,” that she hadn’t been watching the news for a year, and that life in Ireland—where “celebrity worship does not exist”—has given her “more balance.” She added she does not regret leaving.

United States

rosie o'donnell, united states, ireland, chris cuomo, siriusxm, cuomo mornings, celebrity worship, family visit, travel safety, daughter