 |
| Rosie O'Donnell stands confidently holding a microphone and a U.S. passport, symbolizing her political voice and move abroad. The banner includes the title “Rosie O’Donnell Speaks Out: Politics, Fame, and Life Abroad. |
Introduction
Rosie ODonnell, comedienne, actress, activist, and spitfire in the media has been grabbing headlines of late, since moving to Ireland with her 12-year-old son Clay. In January, 2025, the move is not just a change of location: it indicates extreme disappointment with the U.S. political scene after Donald Trump made it back into the seat of power. Rosie is reclaiming her own story, working through her battles in the public eye, and crafting a new one, one based around her new role as an advocate, an artist, and a woman healing her way to honesty.
1. From U.S. Political Exile to Irish Refuge
On March Nicol O'Donnell shared a raw TikTok nine minutes in length, released on March 12, 2025, where she announced that she had migrated to Ireland five days before Trump was inaugurated, on January 15, 2025 . This was, she added, due more to politics and family security reasons:
Though I never was, a person, who thinks, I will ever move to another country, it is what I chose to be the best solution to myself and my 12-year-old child.
She emphasized this was not impulsive:
We just felt as a family this was the safest and best thing for us to do.
Rosie is open that the political situation in the U.S. was supposed to be unbearable. She linked her resolution to those of Trump:
- She has said his administration was both frightening and featured broad executive authority and rulings of the Supreme Court that she compared to monarchy.
- She bashed the tariff policy of Trump, declaring it as being awful to the whole world during an AsIAm autism fundraiser in Dublin.
- She said she was horrified by proposed budget reduction, such as demolition of the Department of Education, which she believed could negatively affect children with autism as well as the special-needs children.
Moving out prior to the second presidential inauguration by Trump, Rosie could formulate the actions she took as both proactive and calculated and based on care to the family at the margin as well as to the overall situation of the American democracy.
2. Finding Peace and Purpose in the Emerald Isle
After arriving in Ireland, Rosie talked a lot and positively about being established in a community of nice people:
- It has been lovely really, ... the people are so nice, so warm.
- All the folks, so obliging, really, induce one to count kindness.
She and Clay settled at first in Glengarry, just outside Dublin, but at length got a better suited habitation in the lovely town of Howth a pretty little suburban village by the sea-side:
There’s a great… school there. And Clay has done very well… People are unbearably kind in a way that shocks me every single day.
The result of this transition is concrete:
- Having to live without the noise of the U.S. politics that makes her feel healthier and she is sleeping better, Rosie said.
- Autistic and non-binary Clay is flourishing at the local school--and in a supportive atmosphere with no mold-related problems that his previous dwelling had.
Put in a nutshell, this new Ireland life has enabled them to breathe once again.
 |
| Rosie O'Donnell wearing glasses and a denim jacket, looking directly at the viewer with a friendly expression. |
3. Activism on Her Terms: Autism, Democracy, and Free Speech
Rosie O Donnell still utilizes her life platform even at the time of settling in Dublin life:
Autism Advocacy
Rosie was speaking at AsIAm, the organization AsIAm at the event “The Same Chance Walk” in Malahide Castle in early April, where she spoke in favor of strong services, not only in Ireland but also across the border, in the U. S.:
There is a quite a few [autistic children]… Here, the schools … 30 kids [per class]. In the U.S., eight to ten.
She assists the charity in its awareness and fundraising, as well as improved educational placement opportunities.
Democratic Integrity
Rosie too had her remarks about the American democracy. She stated that during the elections in 2024 one should question the verdict: on the Irish show Late Late Show.
I hope… we would be able to look at all of the reasons why [Trump] won… it’s curious to me how he won every single swing state.
She indicated directly that influential officers- like those who run social media- may have interfered in the matter, making an oblique reference to Elon Musk.
4. Reclaiming Fame Through Stand-Up, Storytelling, and Irish Citizenship
Rosie also finds her creative self again:
- She is doing stand-ups in Dublin and producing a show in the Edinburgh Festival.
- HBO is in the process of a guest appearance on its And Just Like That….
- She also appeared in Late Late Show to chat about life abroad and written apology letter to Irish Taoiseach Miche Ovarian Martin, after Trump made an informal comment at the White House.
The process of citizenship is still in process. Rosie, whose grandparents were Irish, has filed in January and is optimistic:
We’re 100 per cent Irish.
5. The Feud with Trump: Past, Present & Personal
Their fights in the media between Trump and Rosie date way back:
- Their rivalry started sometime in the years 2006 07 when Rosie on the View program criticised Trump on his business and character. That kindled up a perpetual feud.
- In March 2025, Donald Trump revived the feud in a jab at the Irish welcome of Rosie in a visit to the white House by Taoiseach Martin by telling him; “You are better off not knowing [her].”
- Rosie was driven to give Martin a feeling message of an apology.
Nevertheless, she goes on without resentment-transfers her energies to leading a good life instead of creating a ruckus.
 |
| Rosie O'Donnell, a woman with gray hair, smiles while wearing a black shirt. |
6. Balancing Connection and Separation from the U.S.
Although she wholly adopts Irish lifestyle, Rosie is grounded:
- She misses her four other adult children and close friends in America especially with time-zone issues.
- Video calls on a regular schedule, relationships with childhood friends, and daily routines help her remain connected with the U.S. .
- Her comeback depends on American principles being restored again as she stated - when is it safe to all citizens to have equal rights.
7. Looking Ahead: A New Chapter
The move of Rosie is more of a personal change as opposed to exile. It is an opportunity to:
- Recharge mentally in a compassionate environment.
- Recommit to advocacy via autism support and democratic integrity.
- Reignite creativity through performance and writing.
- Reconnect with heritage, identity, and global citizenship.
Although the move has a shroud of political opposition, it is basically a movement of peace, purpose, and family.
Conclusion
The saga of Rosie O Donnell, prolific to American show business, Irish citizen-in-the-making born reveals a brilliant account of bravery, integrity and change. Bred of political anxiety but driven by motherly affection and a desire to be true to her self, her action forms part of a greater conflict in contemporary stardom, between a call of duty to the outside world and a sense of proper care to the inside self.
Her voice has not been silenced, it has not been dominated to a continent, a cause or an audience as she still champions causes that are closest to her heart and makes a new definition of her being Rosie O Donnell in the year 2025.