Rosie O'Donnell Takes the 'Kimmel' Desk — and Wastes No Time

Rosie O'Donnell slid into the guest-host seat on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Monday night, and if anyone expected her to ease in gently, they clearly haven't been paying attention for the last two decades. The crowd was on their feet before she even opened her mouth — and what followed was one of the more gleefully chaotic monologues late night has seen in a while.

A Standing Ovation Before She Said a Word

O'Donnell walked out to a standing ovation, which she seemed to take as a green light to go full throttle. "They said you can't come home again, but here I am," she told the audience, before immediately nodding to the elephant in the room — or rather, the elephant currently occupying the Oval Office. She made it clear that whatever friction the show had generated under Kimmel's tenure, her version was going to turn things up a notch. "Buckle up, people," was essentially her mission statement for the evening.

Why She's Been Living in Ireland

One of the monologue's more personal beats came when O'Donnell opened up about her decision to relocate to Ireland in 2025. She credited — or rather, blamed — Trump's return to the White House for the move, saying she read Project 2025 and decided it was time to find a new zip code. She gave Ireland credit for being a place where the urge to drink isn't dependent on the political climate, which got a solid laugh. But the really charming moment came when she shared how her child handled the news, telling their whole sixth-grade class that they were being pulled out of school because the president of the United States had a problem with their mom — and that, in fairness, the feeling was mutual.

The Name She Never Said

Here's the fun part: O'Donnell spent the entire monologue taking shots at Trump without once actually saying his name. She looked directly into the camera at one point and said simply, "Hi, I know you're watching." And before wrapping up, she noted that he was probably in the White House sulking over the fact that she hadn't brought him up yet — which, technically, she hadn't. It's a neat little trick, and she pulled it off with obvious relish. According to TheWrap, the name omission appeared entirely intentional.

How This Guest Spot Came Together

Kimmel announced his two-month summer break back in June, lining up a rotating roster of guest hosts to keep things moving. He introduced the lineup to his sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez, rattling off names like Tiffany Haddish, Colman Domingo, Ike Barinholtz, Anthony Anderson, and Jelly Roll — before saving O'Donnell for last, framing her booking as a "special treat" for the current commander-in-chief. It's exactly the kind of trollish booking Kimmel does well, and O'Donnell seemed fully aware of the assignment. She responded to the invite on Instagram with an enthusiastic "And I can't wait!!!" which, in retrospect, was an understatement. You can read more about the show's recent moments in the spotlight over at our piece on Jimmy Kimmel Faces FCC Scrutiny: A Shift in Late-Night TV?.

What This Means for the Summer Run

With Kimmel officially off the clock, the show is in the hands of a genuinely eclectic mix of talent for the next couple of months. O'Donnell's debut sets a pretty high bar for whoever follows. The Kimmel desk has hosted some memorable moments lately — fans of the show might also remember Jacob Elordi's wild appearance talking Euphoria's most shocking scene — but a politically charged monologue from a comedian with a genuine, multi-decade grievance is a different kind of television entirely. Whether you're here for the late-night politics or just the spectacle, O'Donnell's first night made one thing abundantly clear: she is not here to play it safe.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC.

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