Several co-hosts of The View voiced support for comedian and former host Rosie O’Donnell’s decision to permanently move to Ireland, calling it a reasonable reaction to Donald Trump’s presidency.
On Friday’s episode of the ABC daytime talk show, co-hosts Ana Navarro and Sunny Hostin defended O’Donnell’s choice, arguing that the U.S. is becoming increasingly challenging for people like her.
Hostin remarked that America “doesn’t seem to be working for everyone,” implying that a second Trump term could pose a threat to O’Donnell’s freedom.
The discussion came after Rosie O’Donnell revealed this week that she has been living in Ireland for nearly two months following Trump’s 2024 election. In a recent TikTok video, the comedian shared that she had relocated, saying, “It’s been pretty wonderful, I have to say. And the people have been so loving, so kind, and so welcoming. And I’m very grateful.”
O’Donnell, who is openly gay, explained that she moved on January 15, five days before Trump’s inauguration.
“Although I never thought I would move to another country, I decided it was the best choice for myself and my 12-year-old child,” she said, adding that she is in the process of obtaining Irish citizenship.
O’Donnell and Trump have been feuding since 2006, when she criticized him on The View for being too lenient toward a Miss USA winner accused of drug use and other misconduct.
Trump fired back by calling O’Donnell a “real loser,” and their feud has continued ever since. O’Donnell later described it as “the most bullying I ever experienced in my life” and has opposed Trump’s political career at every opportunity.
Navarro argued that O’Donnell was justified in leaving the U.S., given Trump’s long-standing hostility toward her and the broader concerns about his presidency.
“But I do know if you’re Rosie O’Donnell, who he hates—and in fairness, she hates him, it’s mutual—and you are listening to him threaten Liz Cheney, and you’re looking at him go after law firms, and you are listening to him saying he’s coming back to be the retribution, and you know how ruthless and vicious he is, and that he personally hates you, and you have a 12-year-old with special needs… then you make the hard decision of leaving,” Navarro said.
“Good for her,” she added. “She’s fought her entire life. She’s putting herself first. I’m very supportive.”
Alyssa Farah Griffin pushed back against the idea that America is no longer a free country under Trump.
“I think it’s important to remember that America is bigger than the president,” she said.
Alyssa Farah Griffin challenged the notion that America is no longer free under Trump, emphasizing that the country is bigger than any single president.
“This country is bigger than who is president for four years,” she said. “I just think it’s important people remember—there are places in Europe where I wouldn’t even be able to get IVF treatments. And while I love my European friends, we tend to put other countries on a pedestal and act like America is so backward and broken. It’s not.”
Hostin, siding with Navarro, pushed back. “It’s a pretty young democracy that doesn’t seem to be working right now,” she argued.
Griffin countered, saying, “I believe more in America than Donald Trump’s ability to ruin it.”
Hostin responded that leaving the country is O’Donnell’s “prerogative” since the U.S. “doesn’t work for her family,” adding that she is fortunate to have the means to relocate.
“Most of us are stuck here,” she noted.
