Rosie O’Donnell has opened up about her new life in Ireland, saying she and her child, Clay, who lives with autism, couldn’t be happier after fleeing the US.
“I know myself enough to know that this was something I needed to do for the safety and sanity of myself and my non-binary child,” O’Donnell confessed to Us Weekly.
“We chose Ireland and didn’t really know where to go.”
After finding a home in Glengarry — a suburb of Dublin — O’Donnell and her 12-year-old child, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, were disheartened to learn that the house she found online had mold.
“[We] could not move there, especially with an autistic child who has some allergy issues. And so we ended up in Howth,” O’Donnell told the outlet.
“There’s a great, great school there. And Clay has done very well. And they were really welcoming.”
“And I love the little town, the little village. It’s in the heart of Dublin, but it’s still a village where you know the name of the grocer and you know the name of the cashiers. People are unbearably kind in a way that shocks me every single day,” she added.
Last month, O’Donnell revealed that she and her child were in the process of obtaining their Irish citizenship following their trans-Atlantic move.
Her move followed closely that of fellow comedian Ellen DeGeneres, who set up camp permanently in the Cotswolds in England with her wife, Portia de Rossi.
While O’Donnell hasn’t been in touch with the former talk show host, 67, she admitted that she was “shocked” to learn DeGeneres and the “Arrested Development” actress ditched Hollywood.
“I’ve never really known Ellen to say anything political in her life, so I was surprised to read that she left because of President Trump. Like, that shocked me, actually,” O’Donnell told the outlet.
“I’ve been a political person my whole life, not better or worse, it’s just a different way to be in the world. I was very clear about the reason why I was leaving, and I don’t think it came as a surprise to anyone.”
“We’re not really in each other’s worlds, and it’s been kind of awkward but you know what? I wish her the best. I wish that she has peace and love in her life and that she is OK,” she added.
O’Donnell insists she doesn’t hold any “malice” toward DeGeneres — despite the pair not having been on great terms over the last few years.
“I don’t want to fight against another gay woman,” she said. “It’s not like we’re tenaciously opposed to each other. We’re just very different people.”
“We have had some stuff in the past that we never resolved. And not in any way as, as partners or lovers or anything like that, just as friends and comedians, but I wish her the best. I seriously do,” she added.
Elsewhere, the Emmy winner said that while she enjoys building a new life in Ireland, she misses her adult children and close pals who are still living stateside.
“It’s been very hard because of the time zone for me to participate in that. And I really miss that,” she said. “I call my kids, I FaceTime my kids. I have two best friends, Junie and Jackie, since I [was] 3 years old.”
“They’re really like sisters. And I talk to them all the time. I have two brothers I’m very close to. I talk to them all the time,” she added.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
