Transcript: Rosie O'Donnell on Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Hi everyone. Welcome to another episode

of Good Hang. Boy, we have a great guest

today. Rosie O'Donnell. Rosie is here

and we are going to have such a great

conversation. We always do when we talk

to Rosie. We We're going to talk about

so many good things. We're going to talk

about her getting discovered and and

being on Star Search. We're going to

talk about her incredible onewoman show

and and how it felt to do it and and and

and what it brought up for her. We're

going to talk about the idea of standing

up for people, standing up for yourself

and sometimes how expensive that can be.

And and we're going to talk about um her

uh filling in and uh hosting Jimmy

Kimmel Live next week and how excited

she is for that. There's so many good

things happening right now. As Rosie

says, she is reamous. So, we're going to

get into that today. But before we do,

we are going to talk to somebody who

knows our guest, who wants to speak well

behind their back. And we have a great

great person joining us today, Cynthia

Nixon, actress, activist. Cynthia, well,

look, you know Cynthia, okay? Gilded

Age, Sex in the City, the show, and Just

Like That also in so many incredible

Broadway shows. Cynthia's a giant, and

uh she's going to chat with us today and

give us a question. Hi, Cynthia.

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[music]

[music]

>> Hey.

>> Hey, Cynthia.

>> How are you? [laughter] I'm falling

down. I'm falling down. There we go.

>> I got a lot of I got a lot of head room,

don't I?

>> It's kind of nice books in the back.

>> Okay.

>> It looks It looks smart.

Maybe I'll sit on a pillow. Maybe

that'll help me like I used to do at the

barber when I was a little girl.

>> Yeah, I still sometimes have to put a

little uh pad or pillow in when I'm

driving a a vehicle.

>> You do [laughter]

sometimes.

>> I love it.

>> Little booster. Thank you so much for

getting on and for talking about Rosie.

>> It's my pleasure. It's my pleasure. One

of my favorite top most favorite topics,

Rosie O'Donnell. Now, you guys have been

friends for a long time.

>> We have been friends for a long time. We

have been friends from early Sex in the

City days when Kristen Davis and I were

at the Joanie Mitchell concert at the

Himerstein Ballroom on 34th and uh Rosie

and her wife were seated in front of us

and they and Rosie turned around and she

was like, "Oh, look. It's the Sex in the

City girl."

>> [laughter]

>> When we talk today, I mean, one of the

things that is so disarming and charming

about Rosie is she has really always

been herself in real time in front of

us. She has like allowed us to see her,

you know, her real self all the time.

She's very authentically herself. of the

many like, you know, parasocial

relationships that we all have with

people we think we know. Rosie is

definitely somebody.

>> We really do know Rosie. [laughter] We

really do know her and she's and I think

she just came out of the womb that way.

I really, you know, my favorite Rosie

story that I tell at the drop of a hat

is when she was three years old and her

family moved and it was chaos and they

moved to a little culde-sac and nobody

was paying attention, you know,

whatever. and she walked out of her door

and she went right across to the very

next house. It wasn't like traffic, it

was a culde-sac, you know, and she rang

the doorbell and the woman of the house

enter, you know, answer the door and

looked down and there was little Rosie

O'Donnell who said to her, "I'm three.

You got anyone in there who's three?"

[laughter] And the woman's like, "As a

matter of fact, I do." And I think that

woman is, you know, that little girl

that she that came then came to the door

to play was, you know, is still Rosy's

like best friend. So

>> really?

>> Yeah.

>> Wow.

>> No, that's an amazing story.

>> I'm three. You got anyone in there who's

three?

>> I'm going to talk to her about a lot of

things today, including her show, her

new show, which you just saw. She's

she's performing a onewoman show.

>> We actually we saw it in Ireland. We

were in Ireland and we went to see her

there and then we saw it again. And it's

of course it's it's it's different and

there's different parts left out and

there's different parts added and it's

more polished, but it's so much the same

show. It's so it's so delicious, you

know. And I said to her, it's like an

hour and 15 minutes or something, hour

and a half, whatever it is. And I was

like, I wanted it to be 4 hours. I just

didn't want it to end. I didn't want

>> I didn't want the stories to end. And I

didn't want the the time, you know,

spent with you to end in [clears throat]

that way. M that's a that's a that's a

great review that somebody wants it to

be longer. Um now anything you think I

should ask Rosie today we're asking our

guests like you know any any question

big small important silly anything.

>> Right. So I tried to think of this. It's

very hard to think of it but I thought

of three and I'm sorry I didn't think of

one.

>> No that's great. I thought, you know,

how does she feel now? And how is she

dealing with the fact that she is

arguably, you know, the most eligible

lesbian bachelor on the scene at the

moment? How is she dealing with all the

people trying to fix her up and the

people trying to fix her up with

themselves, you know?

Um [laughter]

another question which is more of a me

question is like, you know, all of us

Sex in the City girls, we did so many

sex scenes often with, you know, you

know, quite a lot of clothes off and

that kind of thing. But, you know, Rosie

and I had a bed scene, not exactly a sex

scene, but a a postcoidal scene. And

what was that like for her? You know

what [laughter] I mean? What was it like

for her?

>> What was it like for you? I mean, it was

it was a little strange, but um but it

was so lovely because the part that she

played opposite me on and just like that

who was this nun who was having her

first sexual experience with anybody. Um

you know, she's so funny, Rosie, but she

didn't play it for laughs. She played it

with such tenderness and hope and

excitement and it just of course it made

it even more funny, you know.

>> Yeah. Yeah. Um, but I guess the the the

question that I really want to ask her

is, you know, kind of what you were

saying. She is so important to so many

people and we were out the other night

and I'll I'll tell this story very

briefly, but it's a much longer story

about my friend whose mom died and she

wanted to be mar buried in her Rosie

O'Donnell sweatshirt

and he didn't think that was really

appropriate. that he thought she had to

wear something a little more, you know,

dressed up. But he took the he cut out

the rosie on her Rosie O'Donnell

sweatshirt and he went the morning of

the open casket funeral and she had a

his mom had a rosary in her hands and my

friend pried his mom's hands apart and

took the rosary out and put it by her

side and put in this this rolled up

little thing of Rosy's name from her

sweatshirt and and so that she was

holding on to it and my friend told

Rosie the story and of course Rosie She

was very touched, but Rosie was not

thrown. Do you know what I mean? I feel

like

>> the amount of people for whom she looms

this large in life and death and at the

moments and like wanting her to be there

with you. Why does she think she was put

on the earth? Like what is this quality

that she has that she is so deeply

important to people? And you know, of

course, there are people who revile her

for whom she is important as as their

enemy, but like you know, what did God

or the universe or you know, put her on

earth to do because boy, she has so much

impact on people.

>> That is so beautifully said. She

definitely is a a person that creates

big feelings in people and then being

your her friend, I'm sure you've seen

people bring those big feelings to her.

Like what do you do with all of those

big feelings? Like you're only one

person and I'm sure there's days where

you can absorb it and you can synthesize

it and other days where you have to just

kind of like leave it at the door.

>> But also what is there about herself

that brings that out of people, you

know,

>> and it's going to be interesting to see

if Rosie has an answer to it because it

I totally agree. She invokes and evokes

all this really interesting stuff in

people and and um that's a beautiful

story too. What a Beatles story.

>> Yeah, [laughter] I know. Isn't it

unbelievable? Yeah. Yeah. And it's much

longer and more complicated, but that's

the gist.

>> Yeah. Yeah. Um well, I I thank you.

These are great questions. And these are

perfect, Cynthia. Perfect. Thank you.

This is perfect. A perfect um little

amuse before we get into the Rosie meal.

And I know she will be thrilled that we

talked and as am I. So, I really

appreciate your time. Well, have a great

time asking Rosie all the questions that

everybody wants to ask her.

>> Thanks, Cynthia. Thank you so much. Bye.

Take care.

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>> Woohoo.

>> Rosie, how are you?

>> I'm really good. It's really good to see

you. Can I just say that you were one of

the kindest people to Clay when you took

us to see the screening of Inside Out 2,

one of their favorite movies

>> and she still talks about it.

>> They were so sweet that day and you and

I think were crying together that day

because that movie is I mean all of

Pixar movies are a whopper but that one

is

>> No, Inside Out is something else. It's

like every adult should watch it like

five times a day just to remember what

it's like to be a kid and what it feels

like.

>> What it's like to be a human person.

>> Yeah, you captured it. It was beautiful.

Absolutely beautiful.

>> Rosie, thanks for saying that. I I've

been so excited about you coming in

today. I love talking to you. I've

gotten the privilege of getting to know

you a little bit over the years and talk

to you. And I was just kind of thinking

about what we were going to talk about

today. And I just feel like to like kind

of sum up the work you always do is

about making people feel less alone

basically.

>> Isn't that the truth? That's what I

think being alive is all about. Yeah.

>> Right. Tell your truth. Let everyone

hear it. Yeah.

>> And uh it'll help people.

>> Yeah.

>> It doesn't help when people keep

secrets. It doesn't help. You know, some

people say, "Oh, you tell too much."

>> And I'm like, I suppose for some people

it would be too much. But for me, you

know, coming from a childhood that had a

lot of secrets and a lot of stuff going

down that,

>> you know, wasn't kosher, uh, I like to

be able to go, well, this is what's

happening, and this is what So, I always

tell the truth. Sometimes it gets me in

trouble, right? [laughter]

>> Like they asked me on one show, they

said, "What who are your guests on

Kimmel?" I start naming them. I see the

publicist like pulling [laughter] her

hair out in the other room. They're

like, "Don't say it." You know? I'm

like, "Okay, OKAY. [laughter] I DON'T

KNOW THE RULES. I'M SORRY.

WHAT is it like being in you've done so

many interviews, you've been on this

side. What did you learn as as an

interviewer that now you remember when

you're being interviewed?

>> I don't really look at it that way. I

look at it just like listening is is the

bottom line to everything to acting

>> to hosting to interviewing listen. and

the ones that allow people to complete

their sentence and are not looking at

the notes for what's the next one,

where's the next place, you know, when I

did um the Tonight Show with Leno. Okay.

So, you be me and I'll be Leno. Okay.

Yeah. So, he'd go he you see him looking

down and then they come back, he's like,

"Oh, so Rosie O'Donnell. So, listen. I

just wanted to tell you uh you you're

really good at um at uh you know doing

this movie part." And then you'd see him

look at the camera over here and when

the single was on me, he'd be looking

down at the note for the next He didn't

even make eye contact.

>> Have you ever acted with someone like

that? I' I've acted with people who

>> shall remain nameless.

>> Exactly. Right.

>> Who when it is not their coverage, they

are literally not looking at you. I

know. And it's it's really shocking. It

actually makes you feel very lonely.

>> Yes. And and I've had, you know, there's

one who I'll tell you when we're done

[laughter] that was so selfish that I

was like, "This is not the spirit of

acting in an ensemble. This is not the

spirit."

>> You know, it's almost like when you're

in a great improv group. Totally. You

never say no in the scene. You have to

keep the scene going.

>> Yeah. Or I mean, this has happened too

in projects where you, you know,

especially in comedy where you try

something or say something and then

someone else just takes it.

>> Yes. That's happened to me, too.

>> Me, too. And I've been And it's, you

know, bad behavior. I know you're this

way, too. I I I think what like bad

behavior and conflict in general is

something, at least I feel from you,

Rosie, like you don't shy away from it.

You're not afraid of it. But I feel like

you also are a little constantly shocked

by it. Bad behavior.

>> I am.

>> Me, too.

>> I'm stunned by it.

>> It stuns me in real time.

>> It stuns me, too. not only in acting but

in politics. Like I go, is everyone

looking at the same speech he just gave?

Did we hear what he just said? He is

asleep again, ladies and gentlemen.

Like, what is it going to take,

>> right? And the looking around and the

the almost the gaslighting that's

afterwards is so stressful.

>> How about Rubio saying, "I've never seen

him fall asleep." [laughter] I'm like,

"Oh, dear God in heaven." It's beyond

willful blindness. It's really like cult

programming. It's and and that kind of

stress when something's being when

someone's behaving badly, whether it's

on set, whether it's if you're running

the country, whether it's like you're at

ordering coffee and nobody says anything

is excruciating to me, and I think it is

to you, too.

>> It is to me. Even with, you know, the

political stuff, people say, "Why do you

do it?" Um, I do it because I feel like

I owe something to this country because

of my life and career. that I started

out on Long Island with a a dead mother

and a and a father who was compromised

in many ways and that I, you know,

overweight gay

>> became whatever this thing is that I

became and lived this life of

>> gross excess because of it, you know.

And I don't feel like shutting up now

when we're on the precipice of disaster

is the way to say thank you to a country

and a nation that provided me with an

unbelievable life.

>> So I feel morally obligated.

>> Mhm. And do you feel Rosie like that

feeling of being that kid, that person

that like has to point out and speak out

just you were born with it?

>> Well, the stories that my parents used

to tell me was that I always went to the

adults. I always wanted to entertain the

adults and to have conversations with

the adults.

>> You're a middle child.

>> I'm the middle I'm the oldest girl. I'm

named after my mother.

>> And um interestingly enough, uh I was

always a highly sensitive person to the

point that it's almost debilitating.

>> And when I was little, I would get in

trouble for watching the news because

Saigon was being evacuated. My mother

had just died and there was a pushup

stairway for the last planes out and it

was all live on TV and there was a young

teenage boy who kicked a woman. Now they

were all trying to survive, right? It

was horrible.

>> Yeah.

>> She fell off of the stairway and out of

frame because the frame was locked

>> and we never found out what happened. I

start sobbing.

>> And my father was so mad and so

overwhelmed that I would be crying that

he said, "You're not allowed to watch

the news anymore.

>> You're not allowed. Go to your room."

And so I think I was too much.

>> But it's really interesting, Rosie,

because you're a combo of a highly

sensitive person and you're also tough.

>> Well, you know what, Amy? I'm not that

tough.

>> You're not that tough.

>> No, I cry a lot.

>> Yeah. If someone else is crying, I start

to cry,

>> right?

>> I like I have to like have a shield up.

And that is definitely armor. But when

people get to know me, they often say,

"God, you're nothing like I thought

Rosie O'Donnell was [laughter] going to

be." And I'm like,

>> you know, in good ways and bad ways.

When I would start to date people, you

know, they expected me to be like, "Hey,

here I am, Katie Lang in the bedroom.

Let's go." [laughter] You know, and I'm

like, "Do you want to cuddle? Could we

watch something on TV? Can we I never

know if someone's hitting on me. I never

have a clue. Unless you have a neon sign

that says, "I'm hitting on you. I would

like to date you." I am clueless to it.

>> Well, Rosie, do you think that you are?

Because you you you've you've talked

really openly about Clay. Do you think

you're neurode divergent?

>> I you know, when I was first on my show,

Bill Gates was doing a large study in

the '9s at the University of Seattle

about autism. This is back when there

wasn't all that much research going on.

and they would call every few months at

the first year and say we really would

like to test you because of my ability

to recite lyrics and to like you know

the primitine miss commercial most

people don't know that cuz there's no

song and it was on in the 60s and 70s

and in the lungs primitine helps open

clogged breathing tubes relaxes

bronchial spasm restores free breathing

as fast as 15 seconds primitine mist to

help keep breathing freely for hours

primitine tablets the one most widely

prescribed by doctors. There's no

reason, Amy, that I have that stuck in

my head.

>> You have a really interesting way to

sorting information. Yes.

>> And sorting emotional information.

>> Correct. And I think that that, you

know, my autistic child has taught me

patience and introspection, you know, to

be more introspective about my own stuff

going on.

>> Totally.

I think it's one of the beautiful things

about that community in general and just

the idea of a spectrum in general is

that in the same way like gender and

sexuality for my generation like I feel

like like your generation was about

there are different ways there are

different ways to express your sexuality

and to who you love. I feel like my gen

was like you can have a family however

you want and then the gen like

millennials are like gender is a

construct that we're all trying like

everyone is like breaking apart all

these things we think are very true.

>> It's so true and my daughter who's 23

she was showing me pictures of this

party that they had at their college,

you know, with eight girls in one house

in a college and I saw two of the girls

kissing and I'm like, "Oh my god, I

didn't know they were gay." She's like,

"Mom, they're not gay. They were just

kissing at a party. I'm like, that

doesn't make you gay anymore? What makes

you gay then?

>> We don't know. We don't

>> know. But yeah, it was, you know, and

when I started, I didn't think there was

any way in the world that you could be

an out lesbian person and be successful

in show business. That's right. Because

Ellen wasn't out. Yep.

>> Will and Grace wasn't on. I remember on

my show they said there's going to be a

show where it's a gay guy and his female

best friend. And I said that'll last 3

weeks just like Love Sydney. Now, you

don't do you remember that? We do.

>> Yes.

>> Tony Randall.

>> Tony Rand.

>> Tony Randall had uh a lover and they

never said it was his lover, but there

was a picture of him above the fireplace

and sometimes he would look lovingly and

sadly at the loss. And the story in the

show was that he was gay bashed. It was

a hate crime that took his life. And I

remember being in church and hearing the

priest talk about how horrible the show

was and how, you know, and then they

ripped it off the air. It was off the

air and it was, you know, a wonderful

show.

>> And I thought, "Wow, you can't tell

anyone." But I lived a life where

everyone knew,

>> right?

>> Because I had kids and, you know, I had

kid when I was 33. From that moment on,

I was out cuz you'd go to the doctor

with your partner. You would, you know,

and I would always go to the Emmys with

Kelly. Now, Lois Smith, my wonderful

>> I know. You said she used to walk in

between the two of you.

>> And Janola, did you remember what she

looked like? She looked just like my

nana.

>> She was tall and and stately and she

always wore a bright red coat. And she

had been Marilyn Monroe's publicist

during the Joe Deaggio years. Wow. You

know, when I went and my show was

starting and I got a publicist in New

York, I went to meet her. Yeah. And I

said, "Listen, I'm gay and I don't

imagine ever saying it because I'd

rather fight for kids who are abused,

who don't have a voice, then fight for

adults who, you know, or and that was my

rationale at the time." And she was very

grateful that I told her, but then

proceeded to say to Kelly all the time,

"Get on the other side. Get on the other

side." because she she didn't want

anyone to know.

>> I I don't think people realize like you

know like I people are young people that

I talk to are surprised that you know I

didn't have any openly gay people in my

high school. No gay and lesbian

alliance. No openly gay teachers. No,

>> no one was openly gay. And if they were

like the the art teacher, this beautiful

man who was a teacher and and I used to

call him dad and he was so lovely and so

great and so gay, so flamboyant. And the

gym teacher who years later in Vegas I

was at a lesbian bar and who's there? I

was like, "Give me a high five. N we're

together in a lesbian bar like I dreamed

when I was in ninth grade, you know."

>> Yes. I mean, Paula Pel, you know Paula

Pel?

>> Yes. She was on here talking about that.

And one of the things that really moved

me that I didn't think about as a

straight person is that because at the

time she had to be closeted,

relationships ended like they did for

everybody else and no one got to grieve

publicly. You had to like you had to be

crying in your room that you and your

best friend weren't hanging out anymore.

>> Well, the thing that got me the most cuz

I was with a woman who has recently

passed away. Her name was Corby. She was

uh a bunch of years older than me,

probably like 10 or 12 years older than

me. And I was it was one of my first

relationships. And I was with her for 7

years. And when we broke up, um the pain

of it was so intense. And I couldn't

even tell my family.

>> Yeah. Right.

>> My family didn't want to hear about it.

Even though they knew I was living with

her and they knew that now I wasn't. No

one brought it up. Nobody said, "Are you

okay?" Mhm.

>> And that is very, very isolating and

lonely. And it makes you feel that

you're sort of doomed by being gay,

which is no different than being

left-handed or having blue eyes. Like

you people don't choose it. Who would

choose it? It's not an easy life, but

it's a true life if you know that that's

who you are, you know?

>> Yeah. Well, you talk about this idea of

truth, which you really which really

matters to you. I love when you know

you've talked about how Clay and your

relationship has like kind of drawn you

closer to that, keeps drawing you closer

to that.

>> Yes.

>> And you just finished um an incredible

run of your show Common Knowledge. Can

you tell us where the title Common

Knowledge comes from? Because I love

this.

>> This is true story. So she um they they

and it's a they them

>> that's the pronouns that they choose.

But it's very hard, honey.

>> I know. And I love I love that you're

constantly correcting in real time like

we all do. It's it's really beautiful

>> and it really matters to them and I know

it matters to them. And so when I would

they first told me that it was they

them, I tried my best but I kept saying

she.

>> And so they wrote on a cardboard paper

they and then they would hold it up

above their head every time I said she.

[laughter] like John Cusack can say

anything with the boom box just staring

at me, you know. And so I took her to my

cousin's tattoo shop with the they in

her handwriting and I had it tattooed on

my wrist so that I would never forget

that it would remind me. And I thought

she'd be very touched and she didn't

give two shits. She could not care less.

And I just said she I just did it again

in the they story. I messed it up.

>> [laughter]

>> But uh yeah, but the common knowledge

comes from uh we were watching Jeopardy,

which I no longer do with her because it

was really hard on my ego and you know,

I had won celebrity Jeopardy once

against

um

uh Ed Begley Jr. and Robert Gome. So it

was Benson and the very smart Ed Begley

Jr. Those are smart people.

>> A little bit younger than them, so they

couldn't really work the [laughter]

button because you can't buzz in till

the light goes on.

>> Oh, you are the second celebrity

Jeopardy winner I've had here. Ike Baron

Holtz won. And it's all about the

button.

>> It's about the buzzer

>> and and need and knowing the answers and

knowing

>> and knowing the answers. But I always

pride myself. I used to watch it every

day. So she's about eight when this

happens. And I believe Alex Tbeck was

still alive. And and in my mind it was

Alex Tbeck who said and the answer is

the deepest point ever recorded on

earth. And they look up from their iPad

and go what is the Mariana Trench?

And I'm like what is the Mariana Trench?

>> Oh it's the deepest part of the earth

ever recorded mom. It's near Guam. Come

on. That's common knowledge. And I said

oh what does common knowledge mean? This

little eight-year-old right. It's things

everyone should know but not everyone

does. She said they say. And I'm like,

"Okay, can you give me some examples?"

And I kid you not, this is what they

said. The Appalachian Mountains have

been around since before Saturn had its

rings. Common knowledge. Flamingos can

drink boiling hot water without

incurring any internal damage. Common

knowledge. Cleopatra was alive closer to

the advent of the iPhone than the

completion of the pyramids of Giza.

Common knowledge. I was like, "What the

hell?" [laughter]

And and I asked her, I asked her, I

said,

Honey, where do you keep that info?

>> And they said, I have a file folder and

I like to bring it out at inappropriate

times. [laughter]

>> I'm like, way to go. Way to go, kiddo.

You know,

>> and so this title for this show, your

onewoman show, what was it like? I mean,

physically to do a onewoman show, Rosie,

that's a lot, I bet. What do you do to

prep? How do you how do you manage your

because I'm always trying to figure out

how people are managing their energy.

Well, I will tell you that when you know

we did this sort of as a proof of

concept because I had done it in Europe

and it really is a love letter to

Ireland and to Clay, you know, that's

what it is. And there's very little

politically. There's a little thing

about why we moved and Trump, but it's

not the focus of the show in any

capacity. And it really is about this

love letter. And we had to change some

things because I didn't know if they

would get the Irish, you know, the

intense Irish stories that they get over

in Ireland and Scotland. And because you

because you did it first at Edinburgh.

>> I did it in Edinburgh a year ago.

>> A year ago. Yeah.

>> And then I did it in Dublin and went to

Scotland. Went to Sydney, Australia, did

the opera house which was unbelievable.

>> Wow.

>> Really wonderful. And uh you know there

were two parts of it that were very

emotional. One is when I open on the day

my mother died, the show opens with that

>> and there's dead silence in the audience

and then I say, "I know what you're

thinking. Did I buy the wrong ticket?

Isn't this a comedy show? I didn't want

to come to Angela's Ashes THE MUSICAL.

[laughter] COME ON, ROSIE. You know, so

I throw that in and then I go, "Don't

worry, there'll be there'll be jokes,

you know, and at the very end I tell the

last time I saw my mother." So, it's

bookended by these very emotional parts

that when I first started doing it, I

couldn't do them without crying. Yeah.

>> And as an actress, you know, if you had

a scene where you have to talk about,

you don't want to cry in the scene. you

want to fight the crying in the scene,

right? So, I just started to think of it

as an actress, like, okay, I'm an

actress. I'm not me. This is not my mom.

This is, let me just tell this as if I

was a character in a movie. And I was

finally able to perform it.

>> You first went to Ireland right after

your mom died.

>> Yes.

>> First time.

>> Yes. First time in a plane. and Donnie.

Donnie. Yes.

>> Then, you know, I would imagine that

would be associated with a lot of

trauma, but did you find when you when

you were there, like what made you

return to Ireland? Cuz it feels like it

would be attached to this terrible

moment in your life and you'd almost

like never want to go again, but you

found something in that visit.

>> I still have cousins there. So, when my

father took us there, I didn't

understand why he did it. It was the

height of the troubles. It was 1973.

There was tremendous unrest and Dunny

Gaul is very close to the Northern Irish

border

>> and my cousins were wy little guys and

they were in their late late teens and

so they got us in trouble. You know,

they would shoot cap guns and try to

provoke the British army to helicopters

would come above where we were playing

and they'd go hide and you know and now

I look back and I go that was taking our

lives into our hands. But I think I

realized as I was writing this play like

why did my father take us there? Not to

talk about grief because nobody

mentioned my mother or her death after

she died. It was to show us how to

survive it the Irish way,

>> right?

>> Which is you get on with it.

>> You carry on. You don't,

>> you know, swim in the sadness. You just

move on just like the weather.

>> That's right.

>> You deal with it.

>> Yeah. It's all about behavior. It's all

about like just do things like fake it

till you make it kind of like active

action rather than discussing any real

>> which as we all know does not work.

>> It doesn't work. [laughter]

>> Exactly. All the Irish Catholic people

out there going yes

>> let's have a drink. [laughter] Yeah.

That's right. It doesn't work.

>> It does not work.

>> Yeah. It doesn't work.

>> Um little tiny Rosie. Yeah.

>> Be it funny always popular.

>> Yes.

>> Homecoming queen and class clown. That

doesn't happen a lot.

>> I know. And I was prom queen and student

council president.

>> Nailed it.

>> And I did all the plays and played all

the sports like a good lesbian. So

>> So you crushed it.

>> I crushed it in high school.

>> How do you then get into How do you then

decide I'm going to do standup?

>> I didn't want to do that. I wanted to be

on Broadway. So when I was in um 10th

grade,

>> my brother was a senior and they asked

me to write the script for Senior Follys

>> where you make fun of the teachers. And

you know what I did? I took the Saturday

Night Live album with Chvy Chase and

Jane Curtain and Gilda and Lorraine

Newman and I took all the jokes and I

just re rewrote them for like there was

a joke about a teacher who was

flatchested which I took directly from

there. It's like Miss Baron. more on

that story as it develops, you know,

because [laughter]

and I just put everything about someone

in the school and they were like, "Oh,

>> they were like, "You're a genius."

>> A genius. And I also did Rosanne,

Rosanna Dana

>> I heard.

>> And uh this guy comes over to me and he

goes, "My brother Craig Mini is in this

school and um I'm a stand-up comedian

and I just opened a comedy club in

Huntington and I'd like you to come down

and do standup comedy." I said, "No, no.

I'm going to be on Broadway. I want to

be a B. Midler backup singer, one of the

harettes. I want to be in a chorus

line." Now, the fact that I couldn't

really sing or dance didn't really stop

me cuz I had a lot of enthusiasm.

>> Yep.

>> But, uh, I So, he had me go there first

night. Everyone from my high school was

there and I did jokes like, "Mary's

going out with Mitchell and Greg doesn't

know." And people who paid money are

like, "What the?" And the audience is

laughing like you can't believe because

it's my high school friends.

>> They all showed up.

>> Correct. Well, the next night was a

school night.

>> Yeah.

>> And I went in and I died a horrible

death. So I had in the first two nights

at 16 years old,

>> the greatest night of my life, the first

night and the worst night of my life,

the second night. And then he said,

"Well, here's what I want to do. You're

welcome to come here anytime. You don't

have to pay to get in. You sit in the

back with us comics and you watch and

you learn." And after about four months,

Shirley Hempill from What's Happening

came in.

>> Yes.

>> She saw me at the open mic night and she

went over to Richie Mini and said,

"Little one's opening for me."

>> And Richie said, "She's not ready." And

Shirley said, "Either she goes on with

me or I don't go on." And she would sell

out. Shirley Hemple when I started, you

know, in in the 80s was like pretty huge

star. And she got me uh paid $25 a show,

which when you're 16 years old is like a

million dollars.

>> And started my whole career.

>> Wow.

>> And then she got me with her manager,

Bernie Young, who ended up the executive

producer of my show.

>> I mean, you did, Rosie. You're the start

of your career is like getting

discovered at the soda shop. Like the

fact that people saw you, said you're

funny, come here. you get there, they're

like, "You're funny. Stay with me." Then

you're 20 or something and Ed McMahon's

daughter says, "Go on Star Search." I

mean, people are really noticing. You

were just you were making huge

impressions really fast on people,

>> right? And it was shocking to me and I

was like, really? Like when when Claudia

McMahon came over to me in that same

club that Richie Mini owned and she

said, you know, my name is Claudia

McMahon, Ed McMahon's my dad, and I'm

going to get you on Star Search. I

thought, yeah, right. This is some

psycho person who [laughter] doesn't,

you know, have any connection. She has

the same last name. And the next day

there's a phone call. Hi, the star

search calling for uh Rosie O'Donnell.

>> And I was booked.

>> There might be people listening who

don't remember who Ed McMahon is. And we

talked about Johnny Carson. Ed McMahon

was was Johnny's co uh was like

>> sidekick.

>> Sidekick. Thank you. and like had a

really distinctive laugh and would just

kind of like support Johnny but then

became a host in his own right and

hosted this show called Star Search

which was back then

>> huge

>> beyond I mean I don't I can't even

imagine what the numbers were of people

that and huge names were on Star Search

Beyonce was on Star Search who else was

on Star Search God I I have many people

so many people there's so many people

who were on that show and and went on to

great things but you know I I got there

and and uh Every week that you won, you

had to stay cuz they did it live.

>> Oh, right. You had to stick around.

>> You had to stick around at the sunset

high on Sunset. I had no money. I walked

every day to Cary's, the hot dog stand,

and for like $3, I got a small Coke and

a hot dog, and that's what I lived on.

By the fifth or sixth episode, I was the

thinnest I'd ever been. I'm like, "This

is how you lose weight, apparently." and

you [laughter] know, but I won like 20

something,000, which to me was

unbelievable.

>> Unbelievable.

>> I walked to the Mazda dealership.

I walked with my $26,000 in my pocket,

and I bought a stick shift, which I

didn't know how to drive, a Mazda 626,

brand new, with no air conditioning in

California. And I paid above the sticker

price. They saw me come in and then

listen, the guy says to me, "Uh, do you

want the undercoating?" I said, "I don't

know. Do you think I need it in LA? You

don't need the undercoating. There's no

snow, you know." And I got the full

winterized package for my nonair

conditioning.

>> It was unbelievable to me. But yes, I've

had a very lucky ride, Amy, and I don't

ever forget it. And that's why I try to

help other people.

>> But Rosie, I'm going to say, yes, luck,

of course, but also you had something.

You had a real drive. You had a desire

to be heard obviously seen. You you

wanted to perform. You felt it. You you

went you took big risks, big swings.

Like people can say come come do the

come to the comedy club, but you have to

go. You have to write your act. You have

to think about it. You have to

>> There was something really indomitable

about your spirit, especially as a young

person where you were like, I gotta I

gotta be heard.

>> Yes. It's so true. I I wanted that, you

know, in a way that's hard for me to

even articulate or find the origin of,

you know, it it really is. And I did

want I didn't have material, just to be

clear. The third day that I went back

after the two horrible days, I went back

and I went up. They gave me five minutes

and I had just watched BV Griffin and

Jerry Seinfeld was on

>> and I was like, "Oh, that's funny." You

know? So, I go onto the stage, not only

do I do his act, I do his cadence and

his delivery. I'm like, I'm driving here

and my car stalls and I'm thinking, hey,

why don't I open the hood? What am I

looking for? A big onoff switch. On off.

It was totally Jerry Seinfeld.

>> Did you ever tell Jerry that you made

that?

>> Oh, yeah. Yeah. And so I walk off the I

walk off the set and I get swarmed by

five older male comedians. I'm a

teenager, remember? They're like,

"Where'd you get that joke?" I said,

"Jerry Seinman." Um, he was on MV. And

they go, "It's Seinfeld and those are

his jokes and you can't do his jokes."

I'm like, "Wait a second. Why can't I do

his jokes?" They said, "Because you have

to write them yourself." I'm like,

"Barbara Streryand does not write her

own songs. Why do I have TO WRITE MY OWN

JOKES? I'M NOT A WRITER. I'm just

funny." They said, "That's what you have

to do." And so, it took me a while of

being an MC to get material and to learn

to talk about your own family and and

and that's how I did it.

>> Wow. I mean, you talked about doing

Gildas. Did you ever meet Gilda or any

of those? You did? I would have loved.

>> She was doing a onew woman show, Gilda

Live, in DC, and I went and I had this

older man, again, another person who

helped me who saw me at a little comedy

club at like the ground where you could

have a burger and throw the the peanut

shells on the floor, you know? So, you'd

be doing your act and you'd hear, "We

have a pickup on three. Pick up on

three. It's a cheeseburger. It's getting

cold. Vinnie, come on. In the middle of

your act, you know.

>> Yeah.

>> So, I was at this ground round and this

older man, I mean, in his 80s, uh, Lou

Levy, Imprasario, that's what his card

says. [laughter] Imprasario Lou Levy.

And he

>> We had to bring back business cards.

>> I We really do. It was a big thing.

>> But he um knew someone who knew Gilda

and said, "Go backstage." And I did. I

went backstage and she was leaving out

the back door. And I followed her out

the back door and I said, "Excuse me,

excuse me, Gilda." And she said, "Yes."

And I said, "Do you know Imprasario Lou

Levy?" [laughter]

And she was like, "No." And like looking

around for security, you know, like. And

I said, "Oh, okay. He told me that I

could come back and meet you." And she

said, "Yeah, I don't know him, honey.

It's okay." But she was not mean to me.

She didn't like, you know, throw me

aside. She looked me in the eye. She

stopped. Yeah, but she, you know, I used

to do her because my name is Rosanne and

you know, Rosanna, Rosanna, down. You

ever notice you have a little piece of

spit between your lips and it goes up

and down and up and down. I would do her

every talent show.

>> Like it that it was kind of like that

was how you told people you wanted you

were into comedy was by memorizing SNL.

>> Totally. And that's what I did.

>> Yeah. Yeah.

>> And it was so unbelievable when I got to

host.

>> Yeah. you I was looking up the the

musical guests when you hosted James

Taylor and Whitney Houston.

>> Yes, exactly.

>> Yeah. The second time Penny was supposed

to host, but you know, Penny um often

had a big gulp and we don't know what

was in it, let's [laughter] just say.

And so she was could come walked over

from the SNL set to my studio which was

right on the same floor. And she goes,

"Rosie, they want me to host but I'm

only doing it with you. will you do it

with me? And I said, "Okay." And I went

in and I did it. And you know, Whitney,

uh,

>> what was it like to meet Whitney?

>> You know, I really loved her and I

really, that voice is once a generation.

>> Agree.

>> But when I had my show, we were doing a

full episode on Cinderella and Brandy

was on and Whitney was supposed to be on

and she canled 10 minutes before and it

was a live show.

>> Yikes. And I remember going on the show

and saying, "Whitney, you better be sick

in that hotel."

>> It was a time during those times too

when there just wasn't as much

discussion in general about people's

mental health, certainly about addiction

and without a doubt.

>> And you know, you were hosting you

hosted before I got to SNL, but you were

doing your show um at the same time. We

were in the same building at the same

time when you were doing the the

Rosioama show. Was it was studio what

was 8? Yeah. Well, we were 8.

>> Oh, no. I was 8.

>> 8. Yes. Where Seth is now.

>> Yes. That's right. You were in That's

right. And so I can remember cuz we you

you were because you were daytime, your

stuff would be kind of done before we

would be cranking starting. Yes.

>> Yeah. And the the rare nights that you

know

>> we'd be there all night working, your

crew would be coming in. It was like the

day the day shift and the night shift.

It was so cool to be around that. And

that show, Rosie, it still remains. You

must be very proud of the stuff you've

done on that show.

>> Yes, I am. I definitely am. Must be.

>> And you know the human interest stuff,

the things that I think back on there

was a super kid right after 9/11.

>> Gorgeous girl, horrible childhood,

stellar student. And at the very end, I

said, "Please remember Kelloggs is going

to throw you into any college you get

into so you get into Harvard because

Kelloggs will be paying. Tell everyone

what your favorite cereal is." And she

said, "Froed Flakes. But Rosie, I don't

want to take the money because of all

the people in 9/11. I'd like to donate

my money to the 911 fund."

>> Come on. You could have I couldn't even

speak

>> to get it out to say we'll be back for I

was like I kept tapping the desk. I I

was trying like to get out of

>> the generosity of the human spirit which

leaves me weak all the time.

>> I wonder what your anagram number is.

>> I don't know. But I know this. I am a

triple Aries.

>> Oh wow. Rosie

>> three. And everybody I had my chart done

twice because the woman's [laughter]

face when she finished she's like you're

a triple Aries like like I was a Charles

Manson murderer potentially you know I

WAS LIKE WHAT DOES IT MEAN? What does it

mean? [laughter] You know

>> well Dr was in here and Dra is like a

Pisces stellium meaning she's got like

more like eight things in Pisces

whatever. And the woman was like how are

you alive?

>> Yes. Exactly. [laughter]

She was so good in Rocky Horror. I was

so happy for the Tony nominations for

everyone.

>> I mean, I had such an incredible summer

where both her with her on and and Maya

all on Broadway at the same time.

>> On Broadway, unbelievable.

>> Rocky Horror was so good.

>> And that lead boy, my Lord in heaven,

Luke something. Ho ho ho. [laughter]

Makes a girl think, you know, gay girl,

too. Was like, I don't know what your

deal is, sir, but come over near me and

let me smell you. You know, like I don't

want you naked in my bed. I'm not

interested in the downtown mechanics,

but I would like you to maybe have lunch

with me and get me a lemonade. You know,

>> that's how I feel about lesbians. I

don't want to kiss them, but I want them

to think I'm cool.

>> Well, we do. [laughter] I went to the

last meeting and everybody was like, "Is

Amy Polish still cool?" And everybody

said yes.

>> And I often want to be them, you know?

Like it's like it that's very

interesting about like sexuality and

gender, right? Is you see something and

you're like, "Do I want to kiss them?

>> Do I want to be them? Yes.

>> Do I want to get their approval? Like

it's it's and and kind of what we talked

about earlier. Now it's so interesting

is

>> everything is so much more open. Like we

can talk about I mean like even when you

used to talk about loving Tom Cruz, it

was like people would want to make that

very binary, right? Like like

>> well that means she wants him in bed. I

often said I don't want him in bed. I

want him to mow my lawn and bring me an

iced tea. Like that's what I said. And I

didn't know how much clearer I could be.

So when I finally did come out and

people were shocked, I was like, "HOW

THE HELL ARE YOU SHOCKED?" AND THEY'RE

LIKE, "THE TOM CRUZ THING." I'M LIKE,

"HOW MUCH CLEARER DID I HAVE TO BE?"

>> YEAH, there are men that I feel this

way. There's a guy in Cats the Jellical

Ball, Sydney Harkort. He plays Rum Tum

Tugger and he is the sexiest human I've

ever seen and so unbearably talented.

And I did the um judges thing one when I

was there once and he come came up and

sings to the judges and he put his hand

on my face and I was like a little

school girl like oh my god the most

handsome boy in the class is looking at

me you know and I still have those

feelings but it doesn't translate into I

would like to be sexually intimate with

you [laughter] you know doesn't go there

trust me on that

>> I mean which it proves once again always

that it is like you cannot change who

you are you really there's nothing about

sexual uality that feels like you can't

like think your way into being attracted

to somebody different.

>> Well, can I tell you the story that just

happened to me? I'm in LA at the Four

Seasons Hotel with Clay and Clay asked

for alone time to STEM. Her stim is

running. So, she runs the perimeter of a

room and touches the walls as she goes.

But they but they like to do it alone

and at home we have the space that they

can do it alone.

>> So, I said, "It's the World Cup. I'll go

downstairs. I'll have a beer. I'm going

to give you 1 hour. It's when it's 9:00,

I'm coming up.

>> What a beautiful

exchange. I just want to pause for a

second that your

>> child is able to say,

>> "I need this."

>> Express what it is.

>> You're like, "Okay, this is what you

need." There's no shaming involved.

>> No.

>> Also, I have some boundaries, too. I got

to come back in an hour. We're going to

work together. Beautiful.

>> Okay. Thank you. And so I get downstairs

and there's u Margot Martindelle sitting

at the bar and I have never met her but

I love her work and one seat is empty

and it's next to her. So I sit down and

I go Margot Martindale [laughter]

Rosie O'Donnell star the Flintstones.

And she's like Rosie and I said Margo.

And then she goes I go can I buy you a

drink? And she slowly looks up and goes

sweetheart it's not my first one. And I

said can I buy you your fifth one?

That'll be it. Yes, you can. You know,

[laughter]

there's a guy sitting next to us, a

doctor, handsome, built muscles, about

55, maybe 57.

>> Oh my god, this is great.

>> Pays our bill.

>> Oh, bless. He should. Straight men

should buy all the things.

>> Yes, I agree. Yeah.

>> Paid for everything. Walked Margot to

the elevator. Comes back, says, "Can I

talk to you for a minute?" I said,

"Sure. I have to go up and adjust a

bit." He said, "Okay. Um, I really feel

like I'm connecting to you tonight and I

was wondering if when you're here doing

your um, Jimmy Kimmel that we could go

out for dinner. And I said, uh, news

flash, [laughter] big lesbian, I don't

know if you heard, but been that way

since 1970. And, uh, I don't think

there's a Well, it doesn't mean that you

can't, you know, go out to dinner with

someone and who knows, maybe you'll feel

a spark. He's a doctor by the box. He's

a doctor. So the next day there's

flowers there's flowers for me sent to

my room. I'm like this is

>> fascinating.

>> Okay. So I go I'm thinking to myself,

what's going on here? I get in the plane

and the gayest flight attendant in the

world comes over to me and starts

talking and starts telling me his whole

life. He's been with his partner 37

years, but they only just told their

families cuz they were both from

religious communities and they lived in

the South. Wow. and he was my age and he

was so funny and so beautiful and he

walked away and I thought I could never

leave my gay family. Like I could never

leave the throngs of gay people out in

the world of which I am a member and

proud to be a member and want to be the

the person that the gay guys come over

and tell me their stories. And you know,

it it was something that I I realized no

matter how handsome he was and how many

flowers he sent, there's no way you're

going to make this gay person a straight

person.

>> That's right.

>> And the same way that you can't make a

straight person a gay person. Now, there

is a spectrum, so there's overlap, of

course, you know, but I'm one of those,

you know, definitely 100% gay.

>> But that guy was like, "But you haven't

seen my moves yet."

>> You're not kidding.

>> But you know, Rosie, you look fantastic.

Thank you, Amy. You know, I want to say

this.

>> You look fantastic. I know that's not

what it's about.

>> No, no, it is what it's about. I

[laughter] never I never felt better.

And it's sad to me that it took me till

I was 64 to get here. But part of it is

Mjaro.

>> Yeah.

>> Three years ago, the doctor told me

before it was really in the news that

much. We had o ompic. But I didn't know

that there was m. So they said, "You

have diabetes. Can you take a shot?" I

said, "I think so. I don't know. I've

never done a shot. Is it insulin? It's

my uncles and stuff. And they said, "No,

it's this new drug and it really helps

with your blood sugar." Never mentioned

weight loss. Never said anything because

it was my numbers they were trying to

get down. So, I go on this Mjaro and I

go to Nou with my son. He's just gotten

engaged at Phantom of the Opera. How How

perfect for my son, right? I [laughter]

was like, you're getting mommy points

and more money in the will for this. And

then the weirdest thing, he gets down on

one knee before the show starts and

everybody in the audience goes and they

start looking at him and this woman's

voice I hear behind me going, "Are they

the sweetest couple in the world?" I

turned around, I go, "Hillary Clinton,

that is my son." [laughter] And they

have a picture on their engagement of

Hillary Clinton with them at the Phantom

of the Opera. But I digress. So, I take

the I take the shot and I go out to NOBO

and I can't eat anything. And I think

I'm so overwhelmed emotionally by

missing my mom and wishing she could

have seen and known him and that he got

engaged and a brand new start in his

life. And I was full of emotion and um

so I thought that's what it was.

>> Yeah.

>> Cut to two weeks later, I get on the

scale. I call my doctor crying. I must

have cancer. I've lost 12 pounds and I

haven't done anything. It's been three

weeks since I started that medicine.

>> Yeah, because you do get to a certain

age where losing weight for no reason is

scary.

>> Well, I had never lost weight for no

reason. Even when I tried to lose

weight, it was hard for me to lose

weight. And I had done all those things,

fenfen and everything. But this drug is

going to help so many people if they

could only stop being greedy bastards

and give it to the people who need it at

a price that is affordable for everyone.

It's a sin to have science come so far

to help cure obesity.

>> You've been so open with your body. And

that's not easy, Rosie, because as a

woman in the world in general, people

want to talk about your body nonstop.

>> Yes.

>> And you've had people talk about your

body all the time,

>> especially that orange one.

>> Exactly. You've had the you've had the

you've had

stuff said about your body that's so

horrible and insane and you also

are a woman in the world like we all are

feeling feelings about their body and we

all know doesn't matter what size you

are

>> you have feelings about your body

>> of course when I look at myself from

when I was thinner and I think at that

point I thought I was fat I think that

it's our duty to help each other

especially women helping other women

>> all I want to do now is talk to women

that are 10 years older than me and say,

"What are you doing?" Like, "What are

you doing for your body? What are you

doing for what are you taking? What are

you how are you move? What are your

exercises? How do you feel?" Like, you

know, I'm curious. When you're doing

your show, I like I'm like, I wonder

what Rosie does. Does she stretch? Does

she do weights?

>> What I uh found is that it's not the

physicalness of standing for an hour and

a half every night. It's the people

waiting to say hello to me.

>> Yes. And I feel very obligated to do it.

Even though I'm depleted by the end of

the show emotionally, I meet the people

that I sort of know or who know people

that know me and say they could stay in

the seats.

>> Y

>> but I can't go out to the crowd for

another hour because Clay's at home

waiting.

>> Yeah.

>> With a babysitter. And she still sleeps

in my bed. They still sleep in my bed.

>> And the doctor said, "Don't worry. When

they're ready and they're safe enough,

they'll go to their own room." you know,

but it's been a long time. [laughter]

>> A very long time.

>> But don't you feel like that's growth

and maturity too is figuring out the

amount of energy you have and people

that love you and understand like I mean

at a certain point I mean you you are an

extroverted person present as an

extroverted person. You're probably much

more introverted than you present. And

it's like being an extroverted person

having conversations very draining.

Takes a lot out of especially

>> and I care.

>> Yes. Exactly.

>> And it breaks my heart. This this woman

guy in the show, his mother died. And at

her funeral, she wanted to be buried in

her Rosie O'Donnell t-shirt. And the

family was upset. So this young gay boy

cut out the label that said the Rosie

O'Donnell show, folded it up, and put it

in her his mother's hand in the coffin

and said, "If anyone touches this, I'm

not going to speak to you." And so he

fulfilled his promise to his mother by

letting her be buried with a Rosie

O'Donnell something. And that kind of

agilation and

very generous

giving of love and stories, it it really

I take it with me.

>> Yeah. And I know if I was able to talk

to Barbara Stryisan when I was a kid,

>> if there was a chance that she would

answer me back on Instagram, I would not

have gone to school. I would have stayed

home. I used to write her letters and

send it to Colombia Records. I So I I

think I I get it so much,

>> but it's hard for me to believe that I

am that to them because you always only

feel like you,

>> right? And also that's also just nervous

system wise is sometimes hard to

receive. It's a lot to receive. Yes,

>> it's a lot to receive because you don't

want to disappoint the person in the

moment. You want to take all their

stuff. They're really excited to tell

and you're also a human being with your

own stuff and your own so it's you have

to have a big capacity. It's a lot.

>> Yes, it's a lot. And I feel like

recently I'm re famous.

That's what I feel. I told my kids, well

kids, hold on cuz mommy's re famous. I

don't know how it happened. I think it's

Mango Mussolini. I think it's him who

did it. He didn't know. If he knew how

much he was helping my career and my

life, he would shut up about me because,

you know, he's a horrible creature.

>> You know that story you told about that

man. We know because we spoke, we do

this thing on the show where we speak to

our friends of our guest to talk well

behind their back. And we spoke to

Cynthia Nixon.

>> A and she was the one who told me that.

>> She told us that story.

>> Yes. And she also spoke. I mean, she's

so like so many people, Rosie. She feels

so seen by you, supported by you. She's

a incredible performer and actress and

activist and New Yorker.

>> Yes.

>> And um what's so great about Cynthia?

What?

>> She is the real deal. Period. End of

subject. She's one of the best actresses

that we have. She stands up for uh

injustice wherever she sees it. She puts

her money where her mouth is. She loves

her children and her wife and I admire

her greatly.

>> Well, the the feeling is mutual. And she

talked about she had a couple questions

for you and they're really fun. Okay.

>> They're really fun. Um one of them is,

you know, and and it's about, you know,

we haven't even we don't have we could

talk about all your act. We haven't even

talked about all the stuff that you've

done, but one thing that we saw recently

that was really exciting to see is in in

just like that, like to see an intimate

scene between you and her and you

playing a character who was having

experience for the first time. It's very

vulnerable and she was and her question

was like she was like, you know, what

was your bed scene with Cynthia Nixon

like?

>> Horrifying to me [laughter] because I

WAS SO NERVOUS. And you know, first of

all, I love her. Like, I I love her.

Yeah. Right. And have so much respect

for her. And she called me and she's

like, "Ro, you know, Michael Patrick

wrote you a scene and it's it's with me.

Will you do?" I said, "Of course I'll do

it with you." You know, and then I read

it and I'm like in bed with just the

sheets and then I'm like, "Oh my god."

Like I only did one sex scene in my life

and it was with Julian McMahon from Nip

Tuck and he was such a gentleman that I

had a tube top on and like little

underpants and we're I'm supposed to be

naked and he's got a little sock

and he's like leaning his arms are

shaking cuz he doesn't want to put his

body on mine, you know. And so finally

after three takes they said we keep

seeing the top the tube top and I looked

at him and he's this gorgeous, God rest

his soul, gorgeous Greek statue of a

man. He's a Kennedy in my mind. Like

he's just so was just so perfect. And so

I pulled down my tube top and I said,

"Julian, those are my boobs." And he

said, "Nice rack." He said, [laughter]

>> and I said, "Really?" And he said,

"Yes." I said, "Oh, great.

>> Okay." And then I like stood up to the

crew. No, I didn't. I [laughter] didn't.

But um so I was nervous with Cynthia and

and then Michael said, "You know, um you

guys can be a little bit more." And I'm

thinking, I [laughter] can't really. I

don't.

>> Also, it's weird to kiss your friends.

>> Yes. Exactly. The kissing wasn't hard,

but the laying in bed and the wanting us

to act like we had just done it. I was

like [laughter]

but you know, I I'm a little I'm a

little immature when it comes to that,

you know.

>> I don't even think that's immature. I've

talked to a [clears throat] lot of my

friends who have to do intimate scenes

and it's a it's a skill. It's a skill.

>> It's a skill.

>> It's a it's a skill. Um, okay. Her other

question one another question is, "What

does it feel like to be the most

eligible lesbian bachelor on THE SCENE?

[laughter]

WELL, THE FACT THAT I never know when

anyone is hitting on me makes me not

really be able to appreciate it to tell

you the truth. But, you know, it's it's

very lovely. I said on an interview I

did about that I was looking, you know,

I'd like to be in love again. Well, I

might as well have to taken out an oldie

fans account because all these lesbians

are like, I think I'm the one for you.

And I'm like, oh my god. Oh my god. You

know, and when people are asking for

autographs, they're looking a little

longer. The [laughter] ones I know are

gay. I'm like, "Oh, no. Oh, no. What am

I going to do?" You know, I shouldn't

have said it, but it it's it is really

flattering and really lovely. And um you

know, I love

>> Rosie. It's just so vulnerable and

beautiful that you even say, "I'm

looking for love again." I mean, just

even that is like you have to

>> we have to open up the channel to that

sometimes.

>> We're not always in the right space for

it. And they're for

>> I will say, you know, it's really hard

with Clay because that's my primary

relationship. So, uh, I haven't really

known how to do both. And I also didn't

want someone telling me their opinion

>> on how to raise an autistic child

because until you have your own,

>> you don't really know what the

topography is like.

>> Yeah, that's right. That's right. Every

everything is different. And you shared

that journey online as you know I was

during co I felt very less alone by

listening to you. You know you did like

front-facing videos on TikTok about what

was going on in your life. You have

educated me and a lot of people on what

it feels like to be on the journey of

figuring out your kid because everyone

has to figure out their kid

>> even if they are neurody divergent or

not. Everyone has to be like who what

kind of kid do I have? Everyone has to

do that journey. Exactly.

>> And you everyone has to let go and kind

of at times even grieve for some version

of a a a child they don't have that they

thought they were going to have and then

step into the beautifulness of the kid

that they have. Everybody has to make

that journey.

>> No, I never grieved that.

>> I didn't think you know when a lot of my

friends would have autistic kids, they

were very thrown by it.

>> And I was never thrown by it. And I know

like at one case my publicist who I love

Cindy Burgerer she has a son who's

neurode divergent and spectrum on the

spectrum Spencer and when he was a

little kid all he would say is Rosie

O'Donnell lives behind a green gate.

>> Rosie O'Donnell lives behind a green

gate. Rosie O'Donnell how many ceiling

fans do you have? So when she he would

come in he's like five or six and Cindy

would I'd see her s outside going you

don't talk about the ceiling fans.

[laughter] You do not talk about those

like she's talking to somebody about

interviewing Mariah Carey. you know, no

matter what you do, you don't look at

her. You don't, [laughter] you know, and

so he comes in and he's like, "Hi,

Rosie. Donald, you live behind a green

gate." I go, "I'm glad you found the

house. Want to go count ceiling fans?"

And she's like, [laughter] and I take

him and we and we watch the the garage

door open and close. And so, I always

thought to God, like, I really did say

to God, why didn't you give me an

autistic kid? I think I would be able

>> to translate and to understand and be

like an inter

>> you know to help them in a world that

wasn't designed for them. That's right.

>> But you know when we found out that they

have autism,

>> we decided to do a lot of autism

friendly events and we went to this one

mommy and me class and so she's walking

around talking at three years old to

everyone.

>> She comes back with holding hands with a

boy who was five and he had Down

syndrome. He had autism and he was

non-speaking. Now, he could make sounds.

He was verbal, but he could not form

words. So, she says, "Mommy, this is my

new best friend, Steven.

>> Steven, this is my mommy." And Steven

goes,

and uh she looks at him and says, "I'm

sorry, Steven, but we don't speak

Spanish."

And I thought, "This kid is funny at

three years old. You know, she knows how

to lay down a joke. Gets the biggest

laugh of my show." And I didn't write

it. She did, you [laughter] know.

>> Perfect. And how's the dog? Do you guys

still have the dog?

>> Oh, yes. We we took the dog Kuma over to

Ireland. Now, I will say [snorts] this,

>> the service dog for autism is really for

the whole family. It's not just for the

kid. Yeah.

>> And as Clay has gotten older, she's

decided, they've decided they're into

cats,

>> okay?

>> Not so much dogs.

>> Sure. So, Kuma is really my emotional

support animal because when I am upset

and things are, you know, he sits right

here and his face is right there and

he's like will lick my face and like

look at me like, "Are you okay?" I'm

like, "Dude, I'm better. I'm calming

down. I'm not, you know, uh, taking all

the news off the channels in Ireland,

all the American stations has been a big

blessing." I want to talk to you briefly

about Ireland because I mean everybody

is really interested in how it's going

for you there and what is it like to be

in living in another country? What has

been the best and hardest part?

>> The best part is that they don't have

celebrity culture there.

>> Nobody really cares that you're famous.

Now when people knew that I moved there,

people would say, "Welcome, Rosie.

Welcome to Ireland. You belong here."

And uh it's so sweet. And we went out

the first week we're there and I don't

know anyone but two cousins up in

Northern Ireland. Okay. So, we're at a

beer garden and I'm sitting next to a

couple and their little two-year-old

baby and husband and wife, lovely

people. And Clay starts to play with

their baby and they're sitting as close

as you and I are, but at a different

table. So, we spend two and a half hours

together and at the very end as we're

leaving, I said to them, "Thank you very

much. It's been lovely meeting you." And

they said, "And by the way, Rosie, we're

huge fans." And I said, "Oh, really? You

thought you'd wait till the end of the

dinner to bring that up?" Like being

funny, right? And she goes, "Well,

surely it's not the most important thing

now, is it?"

>> I thought a sentence you'd never hear in

America.

>> Wow.

>> It's not the most important thing about

you. And that's what I found out when I

was over in Ireland. The hardest part is

being away from my kids, my grown kids,

and from uh my friends. You know, my

friends are really my family and

community.

And it's been very difficult. It's

lonely sometimes,

>> but I have met two really good friends

whose little kids have autism and

they're the same age as Clay

>> and we, you know, socialize together and

and uh, you know, that's been really

helpful. You know, it's been very

beautiful and very, very healing for me.

People say they notice a difference and

and I think I'm just calmer.

>> Yeah.

>> I'm calmer being over there.

>> Yeah. Well, it feels like you're taking

care of yourself in the way you would

take care of somebody else

>> for the first time, I think.

>> Yeah.

>> Really? Because I usually try to, you

know, put on everyone else's mask first.

>> Yeah. I I I I understand that. And you

you're a fierce advocate for a lot of

people and it's always sometimes hard to

turn that around on yourself.

>> Yes, it is.

>> We have We could have talked forever,

Rosie. We could talk forever. We didn't

even talk about A League of Their Own.

>> Wow.

>> We didn't even talk about it. How about

Penny? How about Penny say to me,

"Rosie, I want you to lose 20 pounds

before principal photography." I'm like,

"Yeah, Penn, I keep it on because it's

fun. I keep on the extra 20 or 40." And

uh you don't like it? I'm so shocked,

you know. And and then she would always

say, she would always go, "Okay, I need

somebody to go over there, get a fly

ball, sh maybe bend down, come up with a

hot dog in your mouth. Who wants to do

it?" Now, no one else could understand

her. So, I'm like, "I'll do it, PENNY."

SO, ROSIE AGAIN. WHY ALWAYS ROSIE?

GIRLS, you don't want to be in a movie.

And they're like, "What'd she say? What

did she say?" But I miss her. She was a

riot man.

>> Oh my god. I got to meet her. She was a

riot.

>> We would sometimes go to basketball

games together again with her very big

big gulp. And uh she would say at

halftime, "Whoa, you want to go shoot

some hoops?" I go, "Penny, this is not a

set. THIS IS THE NBA. WE'RE NOT GOING TO

SHOOT. COME ON. THERE'S the balls. Let's

just go shoot a couple. AND SHE DID. SHE

WENT OUT WITHOUT ME. I was too

embarrassed to do it. But she's she

wasn't embarrassed of anything.

>> I mean, people don't understand what

Leverne and Shirley meant to women in

comedy at the They were both I mean,

Cindy Williams also really funny. And

they were they got to be so funny. They

were the funny women in their show.

>> Yes, indeed.

>> They got like Lucy and Ethel.

>> Exactly. Lucy and Ethel got jokes and

and Leverne and Shirley got jokes and

they did so much physical comedy. They

were so funny and the men in that show

kind of came and went and rolled their

eyes and commented on the, you know, on

the funny stuff like the women usually

have to do in shows and Lever and

Shirley got all the jokes.

>> They got all the jokes. And and the last

question I'll ask Rose is what what are

you watch I know you're a huge fan of

the arts but you like just like the

video we talked about you love the high

low you love a viral video that you're

watching or TV show you love beautiful

fine art you're an artist you you

there's you are a true fan all the time

>> what do you watch listen to what are you

into these days right now that's making

you laugh that's keeping you light

that's keeping you connected or like

>> well I loved Lena Dunham's book Fameick

because I had a very similar experience

with fame it's you know it's the

impending glittering disaster as boy

George wrote in taboo you know it it's

hard to explain it to people because

it's held up as the utopia and it's

really not and it's hard to manage and

it affects your life completely and

everyone in your life completely

>> and nobody feels any sympathy about it

>> no and you can't really complain about

it unless you're with other famous

people because other people go well how

dare you you know how dare I try to live

it. It's not that easy. You become

depersonalized. Like people don't think

you you're a person anymore.

>> But I'm watching this show on HBO called

Halfman.

>> Oh yeah.

>> Oh my god. It's the guy who did Baby

Reindeer.

>> Richard Gad. And he is a genius. He did

that one. Brought it to Edinburgh and

made it into that show. And now he wrote

and stars in a very intense

psychological

drama relationship about two half step

brothers.

>> Step brothers.

>> And it's riveting.

>> Lena Waith was in here talking about

that too.

>> Oh my god. Isn't she fantastic?

>> The coolest.

>> She's She is the coolest.

>> She's so cool.

>> And I love her clothes, too. I saw that.

I watch you. I think you're the only

podcast I listen to because I I'm too

old. I don't I never like

>> Who has the time?

>> No, but I I love I love this one and I

watch it all the time.

>> Thank you for saying that, Rosie.

>> It's the truth. It's the truth.

>> I've learned I learned a lot by watching

you. I learned a lot by watching how you

interacted with people and the spirit of

this show owes a lot to your show

to hear you say that. So, thank you.

>> Well, no, you're kind and you're loving

and you're very interested and curious

and not all podcast people are.

>> No,

>> they don't seem interested. They seem

like they're trying to do something for

their own career. Not like Lee, you seem

genuinely to care and about each guest

that you have and it's really beautiful.

So, thank you.

>> Thank you. And I'm looking forward to

seeing you on Kimmel, which is going to

be

>> August 17th to the 20th. I can't wait to

see you back.

>> I know he Thank God for him and I'm so

happy that he asked me

>> in this reamous way. Everybody wants to

see and hear more from you.

>> Well, thank you very much.

>> Thank you for doing this, Rosie.

>> Amy, it's my true pleasure. Anytime. and

when I'm back when he's I will um I'll

be your person if anyone cancels. Call

me up and I'll just show up.

>> Thank you, Rosie O'Donnell. That was

such a good conversation. Loved talking

to you and could have done it all day.

And you know, Rosie is always supporting

stuff that she loves. And anybody who

listens to Good Hang knows that I love

podcasts and um I wanted to recommend a

podcast for this Polar Plunge. It is Dan

Terski's manifesto. It is a show about

all different types of manifestos. What

they mean, what they're trying to say,

good, bad, confusing, how they motivate

us, how they keep us frozen, how they

move things along. It's so so well done.

It's an Audible original. Uh uh please

and thanks Productions has made this

show along with Dan Terski, the host.

And you can get it in any of your

platforms. You can find it anywhere.

It's such a good show. Dan Terski's

manifesto. Check it out. Highly

recommend it. Thank you for listening to

this podcast. Thank you Rosie for

joining um us and um thanks everybody

all the time for everything everywhere

and we'll see you soon. Bye.

You've been listening to Good Hang. The

executive producers for this show are

Bill Simmons, Jenna [music] Weiss

Berman, and me Amy Polar. The show is

produced by The Ringer and Paperkite.

For The Ringer, production by Jack

Wilson, Cat Spalain, Kaia McMullen, and

Aalia Xanerys. [music]

For Paperkite production by Sam Green,

Joel Levelvel, and Jenna Weiss Berman.

Original music by Amy Miles.

[music]

really good. [singing] Hey