Latest news with #LeagueofTheirOwn
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Rosie O'Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres feud, explained
Rosie O'Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres are both lesbian comedians with successful acting careers. They've both had major daytime talk shows, and both fled to Europe because of the current political climate, and yet despite how much they have in common, they've been feuding for more than two decades. In a new interview with Us Weekly, O'Donnell is speaking out about the deterioration of her relationship with DeGeneres and what led to the falling out between the former friends who have such a long and shared history. Although there have been years' worth of simmering animosity, O'Donnell said she doesn't have any 'malice' toward her old friend. 'I don't want to fight against another gay woman. It's not like we're tenaciously opposed to each other. We're just very different people. We have had some stuff in the past that we never resolved,' she explained. But how did the feud start, and where do the women stand now? The two women both came up in the stand-up comedy scene at the same time in the '90s so they ran into each other frequently and according to O'Donnell they used to go to parties together with other lesbian celebrities. 'I had known her for years doing stand-up and as young entertainers in Hollywood. Me, Melissa [Etheridge], k.d. [lang] and Ellen, we all would go to parties together,' O'Donnell told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview back in 2023. The League of Their Own actress explained that they were such good friends that right before DeGeneres came out on her sitcom Ellen and then on the cover of Time, she came on The Rosie O'Donnell Show and teased coming out. To support her friend, despite still being in the closet herself, O'Donnell made a lesbian joke on air. 'It was a good relationship. We were friends,' O'Donnell said. 'We supported each other. Which is why when she came on my show, I said, 'Let me not have you standing there by yourself. Let's get a joke in there.' And we sat down and came up with that, 'Oh my God, I love Casey Kasem. Maybe I'm Lebanese.' It became a big thing.' The relationship between the comedians deteriorated when DeGeneres appeared on Larry King Live in 2004 and acted like she and O'Donnell weren't friends. 'She said it on Larry King Live. Larry King said, 'Whatever happened to Rosie O'Donnell's show? She went down the tubes as soon as she came out.' And the quote that Ellen said was, 'I don't know Rosie. We're not friends.' I was watching TV in bed with my wife going, 'Did she just say that?'' The reality of what DeGeneres told Larry King is slightly different: "I don't really know Rosie that well. I mean, I've spoken to her, but we're not really friends," she said. On an episode of Watch What Happens Live in 2022, O'Donnell admitted that she was hurt by DeGeneres snubbing her on Larry King Live. "It hurt my feelings like a baby and I never really got over it," she told host Andy Cohen after relaying the whole saga. O'Donnell also claimed in the interview with THR that DeGeneres hired the staff from her talk show to work on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which started in 2003, shortly after O'Donnell left her own talk show. 'She used the same staff from my show — Jim Paratore, Andy Lassner. So that was odd. It was very similar to my show,' O'Donnell told the publication. "And then I asked to go on because of something I was promoting, and she said no. And I remember going, 'Seriously?' After she said no that one time, whenever they would ask [me to appear] on the show, I would say no." O'Donnell told THR back in 2023 that after she appeared on Watch What Happens Live, she received a text from her old friend apologizing and admitting that she didn't remember saying that to Larry King. But at the time it doesn't sound like O'Donnell was ready to live and let live. 'She wrote, 'I'm really sorry and I don't remember that.' I guess she saw me talk about it on Andy Cohen's show. I remembered it so well, I had T-shirts printed and I gave them to my staff that said 'I don't know Rosie. We're not friends.'' O'Donnell said that at one point the two women were so close that they knew each other's family, but after the feud started, she no longer trusted DeGeneres. 'I have a picture of her holding [my then-infant son] Parker. I know her mother. I could identify her brother without her in the room. I knew her for so many years. It just felt like I don't trust this person to be in my world,' she said. While DeGeneres hasn't spoke publicly about the feud, O'Donnell went into detail about her feelings toward DeGeneres in the new Us Weekly interview. 'I don't want to fight against another gay woman. It's not like we're tenaciously opposed to each other. We're just very different people,' she admitted. 'We have had some stuff in the past that we never resolved. And not in any way as, as partners or lovers or anything like that, just as friends and comedians, but I wish her the best. I seriously do,' she told Us. 'I think that there's enough room in the world for all of the gay comedians, and we all need to stick together because gay people are the next group to be threatened. And the way they attack trans people is absolutely terrifying. If people don't understand that they're a vital part of the LBGTQIA+ community, that's tragic because we protect our own, especially the most vulnerable.'
CBS News
31-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Women of all ages step up to the plate for the Eastern Women's Baseball Conference
One baseball league has women taking the field by storm. Masi Seal, who is part of the Eastern Women's Baseball Conference, has loved baseball since before she could walk. "My dad, our whole family, has been playing for like, years and years, so I keep it going," the 14-year-old said. Some say Seal plays better than the boys. "Half of all the girls I know can play better than all the boys I've played against," she said. "I know all the girls that I've played with are better than thousands of people." The EWBC is a league created by women, for women. "The Eastern Women's Baseball Conference is a league that was created over 30 years ago by women for women, to give women the opportunity to play baseball in a competitive environment, but also have a lot of fun," said Jennifer Francis, president of the EWBC. The conference officially launched in 2000, but its roots stretch back to the Washington Metropolitan Women's Baseball League, founded in 1990-three years before *A League of Their Own* brought national attention to women's baseball. Bonnie Hoffman, tournament director and coach, said it's simple. "Baseball is a game for everybody," she said. And at the EWBC, everybody means everybody. "Our players range from about 13 to players in their 70s," Hoffman said. "It really is intended to be a space in which every woman who wants to play has an opportunity to play a game they care about." The season runs from May through August. Players join one of five teams based in Baltimore, D.C., and Virginia. They play by Major League Baseball rules. "We are all competitive. We all want to win, but we want to have fun," said Jo Ann Kruger, vice president of the EWBC. Kruger has played for nearly 25 years. "Brooks Robinson, I've been number five my whole life because of Brooks," she said. "I was going to replace Cal Ripken as a shortstop on the Orioles. But honestly, growing up, I realized I'm not THAT good." Still, her passion for the game hasn't changed. "As much as I enjoyed the game and played the game... I was going to be Cal and every play, my brain was thinking, hey, this is what Cal would do," Kruger said. "Here I am still playing - maybe not for the Orioles, but I am still playing." For many players, the league is about more than the game. "People should have access to sports," Hoffman said. "And that includes, especially women, having access to baseball... rather than to feel like they're directed or guided into one spot." Seal said the league's leaders help players feel accepted and empowered. "They're just representing girls' baseball in general," she said. "They show that no matter how old you are, no matter what you look like or what you do, like, just do what you love." And they'll keep swinging for the fences.
CBC
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Trump nemesis Rosie O'Donnell joins the growing list of celebrities leaving the United States
Social Sharing Comedian and former talk-show host Rosie O'Donnell has joined the growing list of celebrities who have talked about leaving the United States or have already left, citing the president and current political climate as reasons. In a video posted on TikTok on Tuesday, the 62-year-old said that she had moved to Ireland on Jan. 15 and was currently in the process of getting her Irish citizenship as she has Irish grandparents. And even though she didn't mention Trump by name, she said, "It's been heartbreaking to see what's happening politically and hard for me personally as well. The personal is political, as we all know." The League of Their Own star described her move to Ireland saying, "It's been pretty wonderful, I have to say. The people are so loving and so kind, so welcoming. And I'm very grateful." The mother of five went on to say, "Although I was never someone who thought I would move to another country, that's what I decided would be the best for myself and my 12-year-old child." She added that her child Clay's service dog, Kuma, made the trip as well and loves taking walks on the cliffs overlooking the Irish sea. "I miss my other kids. I miss my friends. I miss many things about life there at home, and I'm trying to find a home here in this beautiful country," O'Donnell said. "And when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that's when we will consider coming back." The Flintstones actress explained her brief absence from TikTok: "I just felt like we needed to take care of ourselves and make some hard decisions and follow through," she said. "And now as we're getting settled, I was ready to post this and to tell everybody what's been going on." O'Donnell is not the only celebrity to move out of the U.S. in recent months. Personalities including Ellen DeGeneres, Cher, Barbra Streisand, Sophie Turner and James Cameron have either left or spoken about moving. WATCH | Do more Americans want to move to Canada? 'Move to Canada' searches jumped after U.S. election. But moving isn't that easy 4 months ago Duration 2:18 In fact, Google search data last year showed a surge in the number of Americans who were searching for information about moving to Canada following Trump's election win. Even 2SLGBTQ+ aid organization Rainbow Railroad said there was a massive spike in the number of Americans looking to leave the country immediately after Trump returned to the White House. Long-running feud During Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin's meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday, a reporter for Real America's Voice, a Trump-supporting news outlet, asked the Irish PM, "Ireland is known for very happy, fun loving people… why in the world would you let Rosie O'Donnell move to Ireland? I think she is going to lower your happiness level." To this, Trump responded: "Thank you. I like that question." And while the prime minister chuckled and seemed a bit puzzled by the question, Trump asked him, "Do you know you have Rosie O'Donnell? Do you know who she is?" before saying, "You're better off not knowing." The president's glee at the question was just the latest in a long-running verbal feud between O'Donnell, Trump, and his supporters. The two have been trading verbal blows going back to 2006 when O'Donnell, then host of daytime talk show The View, criticized Trump on-air following a news conference he held with Miss USA Tara Conner who was involved in an underage drinking scandal. WATCH | White House reporter's question about O'Donnell's move to Ireland: The White House had said in late-February that it would decide which media organizations participate in the press pool that covers the president, wresting control away from the group of journalists that has done so for decades. "The mainstream media has been letting us all down there in America, where the fourth estate is required in order to maintain a democracy," said O'Donnell. "Here's hoping that they will get better before it's too late and here's hoping it's not too late already." She encouraged her fans "to stand up, to use their voice, to protest, to demand that we follow the constitution in our country, and not a king, not a man and we don't have cruelty as part of our governing style." O'Donnell also mentioned "TikTok had kind of gone a little bit dark and negative" for her with all the hate that comes through, and that she is now trying Substack. She concluded by wishing her fans and encouraging them to turn things around and do what's right: "Protect your sanity is all I can say. Protect your sanity as much as you can and try not to swim in the chaos, if possible, but I know it's nearly impossible when you're there in the middle of it."
CNN
12-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Rosie O'Donnell reveals why she moved to Ireland: ‘It's been pretty wonderful'
Rosie O'Donnell has made some big moves in 2025. The actress and comedian posted a video on TikTok on Tuesday in which she shared that she moved to Ireland with her child Clay in mid-January, saying, 'Although I was never someone who thought I would move to another country, that's what I decided would be the best for myself and my 12-year-old child.' O'Donnell explained that she moved to Ireland on January 15, and is 'in the process' of getting her Irish citizenship as she has Irish grandparents. 'It's been pretty wonderful, I have to say. The people are so loving and so kind, so welcoming. And I'm very grateful,' she also said. 'I miss my other kids. I miss my friends. I miss many things about life there at home, and I'm trying to find a home here in this beautiful country,' O'Donnell added. 'And when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that's when we will consider coming back.' The 'League of Their Own' star continued, 'It's been heartbreaking to see what's happening politically and hard for me personally as well. The personal is political, as we all know.' Later on in the video, O'Donnell explained her reasoning for sharing the news of her move now. 'I just felt like we needed to take care of ourselves and make some hard decisions and follow through,' she said. 'And now as we're getting settled, I was ready to post this and to tell everybody what's been going on.' O'Donnell is not the only celebrity to move out of the US in recent months. Personalities including Eva Longoria, Ellen DeGeneres, Richard Gere and others have also moved abroad.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rosie O'Donnell becomes latest comedian to leave US after Trump's reelection
Comedian, actor and Donald Trump nemesis Rosie O'Donnell has become the latest celebrity to flee the U.S. in the wake of the president's reelection. O'Donnell told fans on Tuesday that she and her 12-year-old child moved to Ireland on Jan. 15, just five days before Trump returned to the White House to begin his second term. 'When it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that's when we will consider coming back,' the 62-year-old Long Island native said on TikTok. 'It's been heartbreaking to see what's happening politically and hard for me personally as well. The personal is political, as we all know.' O'Donnell and Trump have famously insulted one another over the years. Their nasty feud came to a head during the 2016 presidential debates when moderator Megyn Kelly noted Trump had called women 'pigs, dogs, slobs,' and he interrupted to say 'Only Rosie O'Donnell.' The 'League of Their Own' star confessed on Tuesday there are many things she misses about being in the U.S., and never thought she'd actually leave. But she said her time in Ireland has been 'wonderful' and that she's currently in the process of getting her citizenship as she has Irish grandparents. O'Donnell's announcement comes less than three months after comedian Ellen DeGeneres and actress Portia de Rossi decamped to the U.K. from their home in California. The couple reportedly became 'very disillusioned' with Trump's victory in the election and were determined to 'get the hell out,' a source told TMZ. ________
