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Rosie O’Donnell’s self-imposed exile from the United States, undertaken following the 2024 re-election of Donald Trump, has seen a temporary pause. The actress and comedian recently returned to the U.S. For a two-week visit, a trip she largely kept private, according to a new interview with SiriusXM’s Chris Cuomo.
O’Donnell initially relocated to Ireland in January 2025, citing the political climate in the U.S. As a key factor in her decision. “It’s been heartbreaking to see what’s happening politically and hard for me personally as well,” she previously stated, adding that a return would only be considered “when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America.”
This recent trip, however, wasn’t about a permanent return, but rather a reconnaissance mission of sorts. “I was recently home for two weeks and I did not really tell anyone,” O’Donnell told Cuomo. “I just went to see my family. I wanted to see how hard it would be for me to get in and out of the country. I wanted to feel what it felt like. I wanted to hold my children again. And I hadn’t been home in over a year.”
The visit also served a practical purpose. O’Donnell wanted to assess the safety of bringing her 13-year-old daughter to the U.S. For a summer visit. “I also wanted to make sure that it was safe for me before I brought my daughter this summer, where we plan to spend the summertime off from her schooling here with my family,” she explained. Her son is expecting a child, adding to the family draw.
Beyond the personal connections, O’Donnell noted a significant shift in the atmosphere of the United States after a year away. “I was in New York for the last two weeks, and I have to tell you, it feels like a very different country, a very different place to me,” she said. She attributed this feeling to a deliberate disengagement from American news and culture during her time in Ireland. “Because for a year I haven’t been watching the news. I haven’t been watching American culture television.”
Life in Ireland, she described, offers a stark contrast. “I’m in a place where celebrity worship does not exist. I’ve been in a place where there’s more balance to the news, there’s more balance to life,” O’Donnell said. “It’s not everyone trying to get more, more, more. It’s a very different culture. And I felt the United States in a completely different way than I ever had before I left.”
Despite the changes she perceives, O’Donnell remains resolute in her decision to relocate. “I don’t regret leaving at all,” she stated. “I think I did what I needed to do to save myself, my child, and my sanity. And I’m very happy that I’m not in the midst of it there, because the energy that I felt while I was in the United States was — if I can use the most simple word I can think of — it was scary. There’s a feeling that something is really wrong, and nobody is doing anything about it.”
O’Donnell’s decision to leave the U.S. Came after expressing concerns about her safety, particularly following a threat from former President Trump to revoke her citizenship. In July 2026, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, stating he was “giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship,” calling her “a Threat to Humanity.” O’Donnell responded on Instagram, accusing Trump of being a “criminal con man sexual-abusing liar” and stating she moved to Ireland to escape his harmful influence.
The long-standing feud between O’Donnell and Trump dates back to her time on The View, and has been marked by public animosity and personal attacks. O’Donnell had previously avoided returning to the U.S. For her daughter’s college graduation, reportedly on the advice of security personnel who feared Trump would exploit her presence to rally his base.
