Rosie O’Donnell is set to make her return to television. In the meantime, some are wondering about what she’ll say and the reactions she’s going to spark. Recently, however, O’Donnell weighed in on this, issuing a message to President Donald Trump and the FCC. In particular, she also shared something that she wasn’t allowed to share on the show.
Rosie O’Donnell Will Make Her Return To U.S. Television The Week Of August 17, 2026
O’Donnell is a comedian and television personality who has hosted a number of shows throughout her career. From 1996 to 2002, she hosted her namesake talk show, The Rosie O’Donnell Show.
Following this, O’Donnell briefly served as a co-host on The View. Originally appearing from 2006 to 2007, she briefly returned from 2014 to 2015. During this time, she was known for her feud with Donald Trump, long before he would become the President of the United States.
Back in early 2025, O’Donnell relocated to Ireland, though she has returned to the United States for a few visits. Recently, it was announced that she would come to Los Angeles to guest-host for Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live! during the week of August 17, 2026.
As fans know, Kimmel’s show previously came under fire last September after comments were made concerning the late Charlie Kirk, causing the show to be briefly pulled from the air. Thanks to this, there is some concern over what could happen during O’Donnell’s upcoming run concerning her own history with political comments.
O’Donnell Revealed That She Wasn’t Allowed To Sing A Wizard Of Oz Parody, But Shared What She Would Perform Instead
Despite this, O’Donnell recently warned that she wouldn’t hold back during her time on the show. During a recent episode of the On with Kara Swisher podcast, O’Donnell told President Trump, “I know you’re watching.” When asked about the FCC, as its chairman, Brendan Carr, she responded, “What are they gonna say, that you can’t say that? I don’t listen to them. I don’t pay any heed to them.”
That said, O’Donnell revealed that there was something she had planned that ABC forbade her from doing. At one point, she planned to: an anti-Trump version of “If I Only Had a Brain” from The Wizard of Oz. Reportedly, the ABC suits told her that “they couldn’t get permission for the parody because it’s political content.” O’Donnell was upset about this, since she would perform the song on her original 1990s talk show.
However, being on a podcast, O’Donnell thought that she was free to share the song. Singing a few verses, she shared, “His approval rate is 30, his diaper’s always dirty, I think the guy’s insane. He ain’t no stable genius, got a teeny, tiny penis, and he doesn’t have a brain.”
O’Donnell followed this up with another parody she plans to perform instead, which is a parody of “Hello, Dolly.” As she teased, “Hello, Donny, I know you’re watching, Donny, it’s me, Rosie, showing up on ABC. You’ve got a crush, Donny, It’s too much, I hear you’re leaving Melania for me.”
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John Witiw has been a writer since at least 2015. He’s covered a variety of topics, especially when it comes to film and television.