Rosie O’Donnell Confirms She Left The U.S. For Ireland

Rosie O’Donnell has packed her bags and started a new chapter in Ireland! The comedian and actress revealed in a TikTok video on March 11 that she officially moved there with her 12-year-old daughter, Dakota, on January 15.

“It’s been pretty wonderful, I have to say,” Rosie shared, looking relaxed and happy. “The people are so loving and so kind, so welcoming. And I’m very grateful.”

For those wondering why she made the big move, Rosie explained that it was about doing what’s best for herself and Dakota. “I was never someone who thought I would move to another country,” she admitted, “but that’s what I decided would be best for me and my 12-year-old child. And here we are.”

Rosie is in the process of getting Irish citizenship, as her grandparents were from the country. She’s currently living in Dublin, where she says she’s met “a bunch of people” and has been enjoying the warmth of the locals. But that doesn’t mean she isn’t missing home. “I miss my other kids. I miss my friends. I miss many things about life there at home,” she confessed.

Her decision to leave the U.S. wasn’t just about personal reasons — it was also political. Without naming names, she hinted at her frustration with the state of the country, especially since former President Donald Trump’s time in office. “It’s been heartbreaking to see what’s happening politically and hard for me personally as well,” she said. “The personal is political, as we all know.”

Still, Rosie isn’t ruling out a return to the U.S. — but only when things change. “…when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that’s when we will consider coming back,” she stated.

She apologized to fans who may have been worried or wondering where she’d gone, saying she just needed time to settle in before making the announcement. “I just felt like we needed to take care of ourselves and make some hard decisions and follow through,” she explained.

Before ending her video, Rosie left her fans with some advice: “Protect your sanity as much as you can, and try not to swim in the chaos if possible.” She added that she still thinks about the U.S. every day and hopes for change. “And I am hoping that we can turn things around, counting on you, all of you, to do what’s right. And I think deep down inside, we all know what that is.”

The news of her move didn’t come as a total surprise — she had dropped hints days earlier on Instagram. On March 7, she shared a selfie in a car, casually mentioning that she had “bought a little used car to tool around the countryside on the wrong side of the road.” Another post showed Dakota sitting in the backseat on her way to school, backpack beside her, giving fans another clue that something big had changed.