Rosie O’Donnellexplained why she’s not close withEllen DeGeneres.
While in conversation withAndy CohenonWatch What Happens Live, O’Donnell, 60, admitted to previously feeling tension between herself and DeGeneres, 64. Even though O’Donnell had DeGeneres on as a guest on her talk show, the formerViewco-host said she was never invited onThe Ellen DeGeneres Showuntil the very end of its 19-season run.
“No,” O’Donnell responded.
“We had a little bit of a weird thing, and after my show went off the air and hers was coming on the air,” she continued. “Larry Kingwas on with Ellen and he said ‘What ever happened to Rosie O’Donnell? Her show went down the tubes! She came out as a lesbian and disappeared!'”
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
O’Donnell remembers the moment she saw it unfold on screen. “I was in bed with [ex-wife]Kelli [Carpenter]and I said ‘Did I just hear that? Or was that a hallucination, auditory voice in my —'” she said.
Cohen then pointed out that “they also never asked” O’Donnell to come onTheEllen DeGeneresShow. But O’Donnell said the series did, in fact, ask her once toward the end of its run.
“I was gonna go on forSMILFbut I wanted to bring someone else with me so it was a little less awkward,” she explained. “They didn’t want to do that.”
As to how O’Donnell feels now, she ended the conversation with well-wishes for DeGeneres. “I wish her all good things in her life and that she should be well,” she said.
The Rosie O’Donnell Showaired from 1996 to 2002. DeGeneresappearedon the series to talk about her decision to come out in the entertainment industry.
Gary Gershoff/Getty Images; VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images
Ahead of the “Puppy Episode” onEllen,which saw DeGeneres address her sexuality for the first time, she told O’Donnell the character was “Lebanese.” The joke allowed DeGeneres to address rumors about the character while leaving some of the show’s plot to be revealed.
TheEllen DeGeneresShowended in May after 19 seasons.
Both women used their platform to come out as lesbian, as well as advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. Though previously, DeGeneres believed her career would end after she publicly announced her sexuality.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“When I came out, people warned me that it was going to ruin my career, and they were right for a while,“she recently saidduring an opening monologue ofTheEllen DeGeneresShow,which celebrated the 25-year anniversary of the now-iconic episode. “Actually, for exactly three years, I lost my career. But look at me now.”
source: people.com
