Rosie O’Donnell wasted no time reminding everyone why she and Donald Trump have been at war for nearly 20 years.
The comedian made her long-awaited return to late-night television Monday, stepping in for a vacationing Jimmy Kimmel with plenty of ammunition saved up for the president.
O’Donnell walked onto the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” stage to a roaring crowd, playing into the audience with an exaggerated impression of Trump’s signature stiff-armed shuffle before settling behind the desk.
O’Donnell turned up the heat Monday during the first of four nights as guest host while Kimmel takes his summer break. Tuesday was even more brutal.
“Oh boy, it’s great to be back,” she told the crowd.
“They said you can’t come home again, but here I am, at the president-hated ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ when it was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. Buckle up. Welcome to the show,” she continued.
O’Donnell at one point mocked Trump’s signature “YMCA” dance that he refuses to stop.
She described her return to late night as a “heist movie,” saying Kimmel secretly recruited her after she moved abroad. She joked that Trump helped drive her out of the U.S.
“You know, I’ve been living in Ireland for the past two years because of Mango Mussolini. I read that Project 2025 and said, ‘Gotta get myself outta here,'” she said.
I watched some of this, ok the monologue, she was doing Trumps Dance😂😂🇺🇸her beef was She was suffering under Trump,no not Rosie O’Donnell?, So why didn’t you book Trump on Jimmy Kimmel show squash that beef, Show Americans How we can unite,but noooo Grow-up America .🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/VKjHpK3Z2o
— Lola Wood (@LolaWood5858) August 18, 2026
She recalled asking her then-11-year-old child to keep the move quiet. Then dropped a savage one-liner about what the child told their entire class.
“I’m being forced to move to another country because the president of the United States hates my mother. But, in all fairness, I believe my mother hates him more.”
The punchline was a fitting summary of a feud that has lasted nearly two decades. O’Donnell then joked that Trump played a major role in her decision to leave the United States.
“You know, I’ve been living in Ireland for the past two years because of Mango Mussolini. I read that Project 2025 and said, ‘Gotta get myself outta here,'” she said.
Trump, brace yourself! 🔥
— Alice Williams (@afreegirlll) August 18, 2026
Rosie O’Donnell came for Trump on Jimmy Kimmel Live:
“I know you’re watching.”
Then: “Buckle up, people. Buckle up!” 👀 pic.twitter.com/UwYUPqCwjZ
She capped the bit by staring into the camera and waving: “Hi, I know you’re watching!”
The timing was ironic. The episode aired hours before ABC sued the FCC, accusing the agency of a “retaliatory campaign” against the network’s free speech.
Then Tuesday night she thanked Trump for bringing her new popularity
“All of a sudden, I’m re-famous … back in the spotlight, all thanks to [President] Ooompa J Loompa, who is watching us from inside a catering cart,” said O’Donnell.
She added, “I couldn’t have done it without you, sweetie. You brought me back.”
Reaction online was mixed.
“I’m so glad to see Rosie again doing what she does best. Seeing this reminds me of how funny she really is!” one X user wrote.
Another comment read, “Trump is going to go insane.” Some fans had no idea about his relocation. One pointed out, “The fact that she left the country when this man became president is crazy.”
Facebook readers leaned more in her favor. “He won’t be able to comment all week or everyone will know he’s been watching,” another person added.
Someone else wrote, “She really didn’t waste too much time on Donny, which I’m sure made him mad as hell!!! She was just perfect and sorely missed! Somebody give her a show!!!”
Tuesday’s monologue capped weeks of escalating shots between the pair.
On the “Good Hang with Amy Poehler” podcast, O’Donnell credited Trump with reviving her career. “I feel like recently I’m re-famous,” she said, adding that Trump “would shut up about me” if he realized how much attention he brings her.
Days earlier, O’Donnell said ABC scrapped her anti-Trump parody song set to “If I Only Had a Brain.”
She performed it anyway on the podcast. However, her version mocks Trump’s mental fitness while praising Kimmel as “brave and bold” for taking on the president.
The feud dates to 2006, when O’Donnell needled Trump over his bankruptcy history on “The View.” The two exchanged quips across various media, with the comic giving it as good as she was getting.
The mutual enmity simmered through his 2024 campaign, her move abroad, and his threats to revoke her citizenship.
With O’Donnell now behind the desk for a week, insiders predict the president won’t stay quiet for long.
