She's back! Well, maybe....
Comedian and longtime Trump critic Rosie O'Donnell revealed she's considering moving back to New York after nearly two years of living in Ireland, following the Democratic Party's victories in the 2026 midterm elections.
And apparently, this development was important enough for The Washington Post to arrange a Zoom interview with O'Donnell the day after the elections. Yes, an actual Zoom call with reporter Geoff Edgers to find out what Rosie O'Donnell thinks about the midterms. Because with everything happening in the country, Americans were surely waiting with bated breath for her political analysis.
Last December, Edgers gushed over this bitter comedian as a "sensitive soul" who just cares too much.
During this interview, O'Donnell said that although she loves Dublin, she misses her family, particularly her grown children and six-month-old grandson. She acknowledged that she's already missed half her grandson's life and doesn't want to miss any more.
That's certainly understandable. But here's a question worth asking: Why leave your country and much of your family behind in the first place simply because your preferred presidential candidate lost an election?
O'Donnell moved to Ireland in January 2025, shortly before Trump's second inauguration. At the time, she made it clear that her decision was motivated by America's political direction. She even suggested she wouldn't return until all Americans had "equal" rights, though she didn't specify which rights she believed Americans were being denied.
Yet following the Democratic midterm victories, she's apparently reconsidering that position.
But before she makes the ol' Irish goodbye official, she might want to think twice. After all, the man she's repeatedly called a dictator, among other outrageous and factually incorrect things, is still occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for another two years.
In a celebratory TikTok video following the elections, O'Donnell declared, "The Trump regime is over, thank you America."
She also expressed excitement about the election results and called for investigations into the Trump administration.
But the irony of her potential homecoming is difficult to ignore.
For years, Americans have listened to wealthy Hollywood celebrities threaten to leave the country whenever an election doesn't go their way. Most never follow through, and some who do eventually find their way back. O'Donnell now appears to be contemplating joining the latter group.
And on another note, there's also an interesting contrast between O'Donnell's "progressive" advocacy and her choice of destination.
The longtime champion of diversity and progressive causes relocated to Ireland, a predominantly white country where approximately 87% of residents identified as white in the 2022 census.
Of course, there's absolutely nothing wrong with Ireland or its population. But it's an interesting choice for a celebrity who has spent years criticizing America's social and political direction while championing diversity.
Apparently, America's political climate was intolerable enough to leave behind, but the appeal of returning home is becoming harder to resist. And perhaps that's the bigger lesson here.
America is a country where citizens are free to disagree with their elected leaders, protest government policies, and publicly criticize the president without being required to leave.
Millions of Americans have lived through presidential administrations they strongly opposed. Conservatives lived through eight years of Barack Obama and four years of Joe Biden. They didn't all abandon the country simply because their preferred candidates lost.
That's how democracy works. You vote. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. And then you continue living your life, raising your family, and working toward the future you want for your country.
The United States helped make O'Donnell a household name and gave her the opportunity to build a successful entertainment career. It's also the country that protects her right to criticize Trump as loudly and frequently as she pleases.
That freedom doesn't disappear simply because Republicans win an election.
And while O'Donnell has praised her life in Ireland, her renewed interest in returning to America serves as a reminder of something that often gets lost in Hollywood's political theatrics.
For all its imperfections and political disagreements, America remains the best country on the planet, one that countless millions around the world dream of calling home.
