Rosie O’Donnell recalls devastation over Ellen DeGeneres friendship end

Rosie O’Donnell recalled her devastation over how her friendship with Ellen DeGeneres fell apart more than 20 years ago.

During a recent appearance on the Mamamia podcast “No Filter,” O’Donnell, 63, described her reaction to comments DeGeneres, 67, made during a 2004 appearance on “Larry King Live” that ended the friendship between the two comedians and former talk show hosts. 

The “A League of Their Own” star recalled watching the episode with her then-wife, Kelli Carpenter, when King asked DeGeneres about the end of “The Rosie O’Donnell Show,” which ran from 1996 to 2002.

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Rosie O’Donnell recalled how she felt devastated over the end of her friendship with Ellen DeGeneres.  (Getty Images)

“He asked her, ‘Whatever happened to Rosie O’Donnell? Her show went down the tubes,’” O’Donnell said, mimicking the voice of King, who died in 2021. “And Ellen said, ‘I don’t know Rosie. We’re not friends.’”

“That was, like, one of the most painful things that ever happened to me, in show business, in my life,” O’Donnell said of DeGeneres’ response.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she continued. “I have photos of her holding my newborn babies. I knew her for 30 years.”

O’Donnell said that the incident was “so upsetting” she had custom T-shirts made emblazoned with DeGeneres’ quotes, which she “gave to my staff.”

“It was very painful and, you know, we’ve never really gotten over it,” she said.

O’Donnell said that she “felt betrayed” when DeGeneres denied knowing her during a 2004 appearance on “Larry King Live.”  (Mathew Imaging/FilmMagic)

O’Donnell explained that she “felt betrayed” since she had supported DeGeneres when the former “Ellen” star came out as gay in a 1997 episode of her sitcom.

She recalled inviting DeGeneres to appear on “The Rosie O’Donnell Show” in 1996. During the episode, DeGeneres joked that her character was going to “become Lebanese,” a play on the word “lesbian.”

In the exchange, O’Donnell, who wasn’t openly gay at the time, joked that she might be “Lebanese” herself, to which DeGeneres said, “You know, I pick up sometimes that you might be Lebanese.”

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O’Donnell, who revealed she was a lesbian in 2002, said the exchange felt “very threatening” since she was concerned at the time that her own sexuality would be questioned.

“Everyone who was gay at home got it. Because I wouldn’t leave her out there alone. I couldn’t do it. So we had this, you know, really sort of decoded, coded, interaction that anyone who was gay knew. But, you know, the public didn’t really pick up on it,” O’Donnell said.

“The news media didn’t, and nobody would ask back then, but I remember it felt very threatening,” she continued. “I was on this very famous, this very successful show. I was winning all the Emmy Awards, and it just felt like, ‘Oh, this could really threaten me,’ but still my internal clock wouldn’t allow me to distance myself from her. I had to stand by her and hold her hand. And that’s what I chose to do.”

DeGeneres revealed that she was a lesbian in a 1997 episode of her sitcom “Ellen.” (Brooks Kraft)

O’Donnell, who said she left “The Rosie O’Donnell Show” to focus on her family despite being “offered a lot of money to stay,” explained that she felt let down when the former “Ellen DeGeneres Show” host denied knowing her.

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“She was all of a sudden in the position I was in where she was starting a show and wanted it to be successful and get the money and the accolades that came with it,” O’Donnell said. “Instead of deciding to stand next to me and hold my hand, which is what I did to her, she did the opposite. And I couldn’t believe it.”

O’Donnell, who has previously spoken out about her falling-out with DeGeneres, said she never received an apology. However, she claimed that DeGeneres has contacted her over the years.

“A lot of times, you know she has said or written me and said, ‘Why are you still talking about this?’ You know, after all these years and I didn’t quite know how to answer that. I said, ‘Well, it was profound for me. It was a profound moment.’”

She continued, “I would have apologized. I would have said, ‘I’m really sorry I hurt you that much and I don’t know why I did that. It was a mistake and I hope you can forgive me.’ That’s what I would have done. I think in her mind, she thinks I keep rehashing it for pleasure.”

O’Donnell claimed that she has never received an apology from DeGeneres.  (Stefanie Keenan)

“I don’t rehash it for pleasure,” O’Donnell said. “I rehash because our careers have taken sort of parallel interwoven paths. And I’m often, you know, we’re gay talk show hosts and we’re around the same age. So people would always ask me about it. And I have a hard time not telling the truth.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to a representative for DeGeneres for comment.

DeGeneres has not publicly addressed her friendship with O’Donnell or remarks that the “Now and Then” star has made about her. However, she expressed support for O’Donnell amid her feud with former President Donald Trump.

After O’Donnell moved to Ireland following Trump’s election, the former president shared a Truth Social post in July 2025 in which he threatened to revoke her citizenship. DeGeneres, who relocated to the United Kingdom with her wife, Portia de Rossi, last year, posted a screenshot of Trump’s post on social media, writing, “Good for you,” and tagging O’Donnell.

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