Rosie O'Donnell told former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo that she was "very depressed" and "overdrinking" following President Donald Trump's first election victory in 2016 on "The Chris Cuomo Project" podcast on Tuesday.
O'Donnell revealed that she left the United States for Ireland out of a sense of "self-preservation" after Trump's second election victory, considering the difficulties she experienced after his first win in 2016.
"During his first go-round, it was very difficult, and I got myself into some bad places. You know, I was very, very depressed. I was overeating. I was overdrinking … I was so depressed, Chris," she told the former cable host.
ROSIE O'DONNELL WAS 'SHOCKED' THAT TRUMP'S ELECTION MADE ELLEN DEGENERES FLEE THE US
O'Donnell told Cuomo that she was "very depressed" following Trump's first election win, which led her to indulge in destructive habits. (Screenshot/"The Chris Cuomo Project")
She also shared that it hurt her heart to know that Americans "believed the lies" of Trump and, furthermore, that she worked in a business that "sells those lies for profit."
Another reason O'Donnell listed for leaving the U.S. was to ensure that she could be a "good parent" to her 12-year-old child.
"Coming to Ireland was totally a way to take care of myself and my non-binary autistic child, who's going to need services and help and counseling and all the things that he's [Trump is] threatening to cut in his horrible plan of the big, beautiful bill," she stated.
O'Donnell revealed that she left the U.S. following Trump's second election victory out of "self-preservation." (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images/Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Later in their discussion, Cuomo recalled telling O'Donnell after Trump's first victory that "this is going to affect you a lot more than it's going to affect him," and asked how moving to Ireland has impacted her life.
She told Cuomo that she enjoys the fact that people in Ireland typically don't approach celebrities the way they do in America, and also noted that she feels safe considering there's no "MAGA support" in the country.
O'Donnell related an experience she had in Ireland where an older man bought her a pint of Guinness after she told him that she had left the U.S. because of Trump being elected. She contrasted this with a story from the U.S., where the entertainer and her child were allegedly mocked in a CVS store after Trump won the 2024 election.
"One cursed at us, and she's like, ‘Why are they cursing at us?’ And I'm like 'Honey you know the bad guy? They're all bad guys too,'" she detailed.