The actress called her home country “scary,” adding, “There’s a feeling that something is really wrong, and nobody is doing anything about it.”

Rosie O’Donnell reveals why she secretly returned to U.S. amid Trump citizenship threats

The actress called her home country "scary," adding, "There's a feeling that something is really wrong, and nobody is doing anything about it."

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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February 13, 2026 2:59 p.m. ET

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Rosie O'Donnell in Los Angeles on Oct. 24, 2024; Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 29, 2026. Credit:

Amanda Edwards/Getty; Taylor Hill/WireImage

- Rosie O'Donnell said she recently returned to the U.S. for two weeks after she moved to Ireland last year to avoid Donald Trump's second presidency.

- The comedian said she visited her family and also wanted "to see how hard it would be for me to get in and out of the country."

- O'Donnell added that she wanted to "see if it was safe for me" after Trump threatened to revoke her citizenship.

Rosie O'Donnell left the U.S. last year in the wake of Donald Trump's second election — but she recently visited for a vibe check.

The comedian, who moved to Ireland in January 2025, revealed why she returned after a year abroad.

"I was recently home for two weeks, and I did not really tell anyone," O'Donnell said in a new interview with Chris Cuomo on the SiriusXM show *Cuomo Mornings*. "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."

O'Donnell previously explained why she relocated to Ireland. "It's been heartbreaking to see what's happening politically and hard for me personally as well," she said, adding that she would consider moving back only "when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America."

Rosie O'Donnell in Sydney on Oct. 6, 2025.

Brendon Thorne/Getty

While the *League of Their Own* actress lives in Ireland now with her 13-year-old child, her four adult children remain stateside.

"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," O'Donnell said of her recent visit during the interview. "My son is having his first child. So we're very excited to be home."

O'Donnell was shocked by how much her original home had changed for her after she'd spent 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, noting how disconnected she has become. "Because for a year, I haven't been watching the news. I haven't been watching American culture television."

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She explained how Irish culture feels distinct from that of the U.S. "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," she 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."

O'Donnell added that she completely stands by her decision to move. "I don't regret leaving at all," she said. "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 had previously avoided returning to the States due to security concerns. "My daughter graduated college and I didn't go back because the security people said to me they didn't think it was wise," the comedian revealed in September. "Because I think Trump will use me to rile his base."

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Trump and O'Donnell have a long-standing feud that dates back to her time as a cohost on *The View*. In July, the president threatened to revoke the actress' citizenship.

"Because of the fact that Rosie O'Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "She is a Threat to Humanity, and should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her."

O'Donnell was quick to respond on Instagram. "The president of the usa has always hated the fact that i see him for who he is - a criminal con man sexual-abusing liar out to harm our nation to serve himself," she wrote. "This is why i moved to ireland - he is a dangerous old soulless man with dementia who lacks empathy, compassion, and basic humanity."**

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