Rosie O’Donnell has made her political boundaries clear, but one friendship still crosses the divide. The former talk-show host says Wynonna Judd remains close to her despite Judd’s support for President Donald Trump. This is a notable exception in O’Donnell’s otherwise sharp political stance.
Wynonna Judd remains close to Rosie O’Donnell despite their political difference over Donald Trump
Speaking Tuesday on Kyle Ridley’s The Tangle podcast, Rosie O’Donnell explained that she and Wynonna Judd simply avoid the subject. She said she has known the singer for “many, many years” and loves her deeply. O’Donnell also pointed to Judd’s difficult upbringing and the death of her mother as reasons she gives the friendship “grace.”
That tolerance does not extend to many others. O’Donnell said she could not think of another person in her life who backs Donald Trump, then delivered a blunt assessment of the president. She cited his “criminal behavior,” misogyny, racism and homophobia before calling him “a very dark spirit.”
Her hostility toward Trump has a long history. Their feud began before his political career, after O’Donnell criticized him during a 2006 episode of The View. She challenged his public judgment of Miss USA Tara Conner and mocked Trump’s own record while questioning his moral authority.
Their clashes continued for years, including Trump publicly attacking O’Donnell after he entered politics. “But he’s the moral compass for 20-year-olds in America,” O’Donnell said that time. She added, “Donald, sit and spin, my friend. I don’t enjoy him (via EW).”
Meanwhile, Judd’s connection to Trump goes back years. During his first presidency, she worked with the White House on criminal justice reform. She also publicly separated herself from sister Ashley Judd in 2017 after Ashley spoke out against Trump.
O’Donnell, who relocated to Ireland before Trump’s second inauguration, says the mood there feels worlds apart. She told Ridley that no one has told her they support Trump. Instead, she said people have come up to her and offered to buy her a pint because they “hate him, too.”
