Rosie O’Donnell opens up about love life 11 years after divorce from wife: ‘Totally don’t get it’

Joey NolfiTue, July 21, 2026 at 10:00 PM UTC

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Rosie O’Donnell in LondonCredit: Neil Mockford/WireImageKey Points -

Pop culture icon Rosie O’Donnell opened up about her love life 11 years after her divorce from wife Michelle Rounds.

The star revealed she’s “interested” in dating again, but also voiced that mixed signals during courtship can be confusing.

“I totally don’t get it. I have to turn that part of my body or my brain on,” the 64-year-old admitted.

Pop culture staple and LGBTQ icon Rosie O’Donnell has opened up about her love life nearly 11 years after her 2015 divorce from ex-wife Michelle Rounds.

The 64-year-old confirmed to PEOPLE in a new interview that she’s “interested” in dating again, following her prior marriages to both Rounds and another ex, Kelli Carpenter.

“Now that Clay’s 13, and I’m in a good place, I would like to be in love again,” O’Donnell admitted, referencing one of her children, Clay. “But I’m one of those people — I think everyone just wants to be friends. If you don’t have a sign that says ‘I’m trying to date you,’ I totally don’t get it. I have to turn that part of my body or my brain on.”

Rosie O’Donnell at Tony AwardsCredit: Dia Dipasupil/WireImage

O’Donnell first came out as a lesbian in 2002, and has since grown her family to include five children, including the aforementioned Clay.

Speaking about parenting, O’Donnell addressed Clay’s autism. She said that being a mother to a child with autism allowed her to learn to “be more connected and attached” and “for us to be close in a way that I hadn’t been with my other kids.”

“Autism is so miraculously curious. Clay understands very big concepts for a kid who’s only 13. They said to me once, ‘Do you realize that Cleopatra lived closer to the invention of the iPhone than she did to the completion of the Pyramids of Giza? Common knowledge.’ Hence the name of my show. I went into the bathroom and googled that, and it’s true,” said O’Donnell, who’s also gearing up to launch a one-woman show, Common Knowledge, on stage.

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“We were out, and there was a child crying and a mother comforting him. I don’t know if the child had autism, but I thought it was a possibility. I started to cry, and Clay grabbed my hand. When we got home, Clay said, ‘You know what I noticed since we got to Ireland? You’re softer now,’” recalled the star. “I said, ‘Thank you for noticing. I love you very much’ — and then Clay rolls their eyes like all my kids do. ‘Yeah, I know, Mom.’ My show is a love letter to Clay as well, even though when I’m rehearsing, they will say, ‘I never said that. That is an exaggeration.’ I always say, ‘Do you want to come see it?’ and Clay responds, ‘It is one-sided, and not only your opinion matters, Mommy.’ I’m like, ‘You’re damn right. I can’t wait till you write your own show.’”

O’Donnell, who recently moved her family to Ireland amid her longtime adversary Donald Trump’s second term in office, reflected on life at 64 and how her perspective has changed over the years.

Rosie O’Donnell in Los AngelesCredit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

“It’s glorious. When you’re 40 or 30, you’re worried all the time — am I doing it right? Now I don’t really care,” she said. “It used to be when our president would say things about me, it would be like, whoa. If you had written this as a movie — a stand-up comic makes fun of a reality show host, and he ends up being the president, and then he doesn’t shut up about her for 20 years — it would be unbelievable. The fact that it’s my life is very trippy.”

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In addition to her one-woman show, O’Donnell is also set to temporarily host Jimmy Kimmel Live in August while Kimmel — a fellow foe of Trump’s — takes a hiatus from the show.

on Entertainment Weekly

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”