Rosie O’Donnell’s return to a television talk-show desk was never likely to be quiet. Put her behind Jimmy Kimmel’s desk with Donald Trump back in the White House, and the chances of a peaceful week were somewhere south of zero.
O’Donnell took over guest-hosting duties on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for four nights while Kimmel was away, marking a notable return to a format she once dominated with “The Rosie O’Donnell Show.”
The comedian used the opportunity to mix familiar talk-show humor with stories about her life outside the United States and, inevitably, some pointed jokes about Trump.
O’Donnell moved to Ireland following Trump’s return to the presidency and has spoken openly about the political climate influencing that decision. During her late-night return, she talked about settling into life there and the reception she has received from the Irish public.
But her history with Trump was never far from the surface.
The two have been publicly sparring since 2006, creating a celebrity feud that eventually followed one of its participants all the way into the White House. Nearly two decades later, O’Donnell found herself with a network television microphone again and made clear that she had not forgotten their history.
Across her guest-hosting run, she delivered a collection of jokes aimed at the president, at one point humorously crediting him with helping return her to the spotlight.
The comedy became more pointed when O’Donnell turned her attention to Natalie Harp, a White House aide and close Trump associate who has recently attracted increased public attention. O’Donnell used Harp’s proximity to the president as material for another jab at Trump.
The White House did not let the remarks pass unanswered.
Spokesman Davis Ingle responded with personal insults directed at O’Donnell and accused the comedian of maintaining an unhealthy fixation on the president. The response added another chapter to a feud that has repeatedly blurred the boundaries between celebrity entertainment and presidential politics.
For O’Donnell, however, the week was about more than revisiting an old adversary.
Her stint behind Kimmel’s desk placed her back in a television environment that once made her one of America’s most recognizable daytime personalities. Years after leaving her own talk show, she slipped back into the host’s chair with plenty to say and an unusually famous heckler waiting in the wings.
Whatever else has changed since O’Donnell last had a talk-show desk of her own, one thing clearly has not: putting Rosie O’Donnell in front of a camera still has a way of getting people talking.
