Following in the footsteps of fellow celebrities James Cameron and Ellen DeGeneres, Rosie O’Donnell is done with the United States under President Donald Trump.
The former talk-show host is no longer living in the United States, she confirmed, and has moved to Ireland.
The comedian revealed her international move in a TikTok video posted on March 11, saying that she now lives in Ireland with her 12-year-old daughter, Dakota.
“Moved here on January 15 and it’s been pretty wonderful, I have to say. The people are so loving and so kind, so welcoming. And I’m very grateful,” O’Donnell said.
O’Donnell, 62, said she’s currently in the process of getting her Irish citizenship, revealing that she has Irish grandparents.
“That’s what’s going on and that’s where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing,” she added. “Although I was never someone who I thought would move to another country, that’s what I decided would be the best for myself and my 12-year-old child.”
“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 and when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that’s when we will consider coming back,” she said.
O’Donnell said that it’s been “heartbreaking to see what’s happening politically” and hard for her personally.
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“The personal is political, as we all know,” she added.
She said that she’s met a lot of people in Ireland and everyone has been “friendly.”
“I just felt like we needed to take care of ourselves and make some hard decisions and follow through. And now as we’re getting settled, I was ready to post this and to tell everybody what’s been going on,” O’Donnell explained in her over nine-minute video.
O’Donnell encouraged Americans “to protest, to demand that we follow our constitution and our country.”
“And not a king, not a man, and we don’t have cruelty as part of our governing style,” she added.
“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,” she said to her fans.
“And I think about everyone every day, and the United States of America. And I am hoping that we can turn things around, counting on you, all of you, to do what’s right. And I think deep down inside, we all know what that is,” O’Donnell concluded.
O’Donnell is not the first American celebrity to discuss the idea of moving abroad after U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January.
In February, director James Cameron said his New Zealand citizenship is “imminent” and hinted at plans to relocate to the country permanently.
According to the Guardian, Cameron has long been vocal about his plans to live in New Zealand and Trump’s current presidency, which he described as “horrifying” and “like watching a car crash over and over again,” is a recent catalyst.
“I see it as a turn away from everything decent,” he said of the Trump administration. “America doesn’t stand for anything if it doesn’t stand for what it has historically stood for. It becomes a hollow idea, and I think they’re hollowing it out as fast as they can for their own benefit.”
“There’s something nice about the New Zealand outlets — at least they’ll put it [Trump stories] on page three.… I just don’t want to see that guy’s face any more, on the front page of the paper,” he added.
Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi moved from the United States to England in November, a decision reportedly motivated by Trump’s presidential victory.
The Wrap spoke to sources close to the comedian, 67, and Arrested Development star, 52, who told the outlet the couple is likely to “never” return to the U.S. on a permanent basis.
Separate sources, speaking with TMZ, said the married couple decided to “get the hell out” of the U.S. immediately following Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris.
— With files from Global News’ Rachel Goodman and Michelle Butterfield
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