For many of us, Rosie O’Donnell will always be the fast-talking, koosh-ball-throwing talk show host who gave us the kid jokebook that ruled the late ’90s, Kids Are Funny, and felt like the cool aunt we grew up with on daytime TV. But O’Donnell’s career — and her political voice — have evolved far beyond 90s nostalgia. And now, that voice may be under serious threat.
Over the weekend, President Donald Trump said he was “seriously considering” revoking O’Donnell’s U.S. citizenship in a Truth Social post, claiming the American-born comedian and actress is “not in the best interests of our Great Country.” He followed the statement with a jab at her current residence in Ireland, writing that she “should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her,” per Newsweek. O’Donnell was born in Commack, New York, for the record.
It’s a shocking escalation in a decades-long feud that has somehow followed both figures from daytime TV to the Oval Office. And for anyone who thinks this is just a personal vendetta, it’s worth paying attention to how dangerously politicized Trump’s approach to citizenship has become.
Let’s back up a bit. Trump and O’Donnell’s public clash began in 2006 when O’Donnell, then a co-host on The View, criticized Trump’s moral judgment as owner of the Miss USA pageant. He responded by threatening legal action and publicly body-shaming her — something he would continue to do for years across interviews, social media, and even the 2015 presidential debate stage.
O’Donnell, for her part, has never shied away from firing back. But she’s also spoken candidly about how deeply Trump’s bullying affected her, calling it “the most bullying I ever experienced in my life, including as a child.” In 2025, she moved to Ireland with her family, saying in a TikTok that they’d return “when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America.”
While some tax experts believe that some celebrities, like O’Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, also factored in California’s property taxes when it came to their move, other celebrities like Eva Longoria have also cited Trump’s alarming behavior as a reason to move abroad. And while certain people’s ability to just uproot their life and move to another country brings up its own set of questions on geographical and financial privilege, Trump’s latest jab feels less like a punchline and more like a red flag.
While legal experts have noted that Trump has no constitutional authority to revoke the citizenship of someone born in the U.S., the threat alone coming from a sitting president is deeply unsettling. Under the 14th Amendment, anyone born on American soil is automatically granted citizenship — a principle Trump has repeatedly challenged. His latest push, the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” passed earlier this year and opened the door for states to restrict automatic citizenship for children born to undocumented parents.
After the Supreme Court ended the use of nationwide injunctions, those restrictions are now live in some states and blocked in others, creating a patchwork of access based more on geography than constitutional rights. Combine that with Trump’s renewed calls for mass deportations and ICE raids — like the ones that continued to be carried out across Los Angeles — and it’s clear this isn’t just about Rosie. It’s about reshaping who gets to belong. And frankly, if Trump is so eager to rewrite birthright citizenship, one wonders if he’s planning to revisit all American-born children of immigrants — or just the ones who criticize him. Barron might want to keep his passport handy.
What Trump is proposing may not be legally feasible, but it reinforces a pattern: using personal grudges and political influence to threaten the rights of people he disagrees with — particularly women, LGBTQ+ voices, and outspoken critics.
Even those who may not agree with O’Donnell’s views should be alarmed that the machinery of government could be pointed toward silencing dissent in such a fundamental way. And let’s be honest — if this can be floated about Rosie O’Donnell, what’s to stop it from being weaponized against others, especially those who don’t have as large of a platform as O’Donnell?
Click here to see all the times Donald Trump has gone off about celebrity women’s looks.
