Rosie O’Donnell made her triumphant return to television when she filled in on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in August 2026. However, amid the much-talked-about late-night debut, Kathy Griffin, a close friend of O’Donnell, revealed that she’d felt hurt not to have been invited as a guest. Now, the former Bravo star is giving an update on where they stand.
Entertainment Weekly interviewed Griffin in September 2026 while she was promoting her tour, “New Face, New Tour.” During the conversation, the comedian was asked about her relationship with O’Donnell after saying she was “really hurt” by not being invited on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” during her four days of hosting.
She responded, saying they had spoken after the video Griffin uploaded in August. The 65-year-old continued, “Yeah, [we’re] all good. I love her, and I love her for life. I’ve known her for decades!” After that, Griffin revealed that she’d given O’Donnell advice about what to wear on “Kimmel.”
According to her, “She’d just done a magazine shoot, and I told her to buy the rack because she doesn’t care about clothes. She just wants to wear sweatpants and stuff. She goes, ‘Griffin, I’ve got to have a new outfit every night.’”
Griffin continued telling her story, recalling, “I said, ‘Ro, buy the rack. Seriously, buy the rack of clothing that the gays- you heard me- chose for you for the magazine shoot, and then you’ll never have to shop again.”
Kathy Griffin Also Weighing In On If Rosie Should Have Another Show
Griffin continued her comments about O’Donnell by reiterating that there is no bad blood between them. She stated, “I love her. I thought she knocked it out of the park.”
From there, the former Bravo star opened up about O’Donnell’s overall return to the spotlight, saying, like many, that she believes her friend needs a full-time return to television. Griffin said, “I want her to get a show again, whether it’s daytime or nighttime. She can do anything.”
She continued, “She’s so relatable. She’s huge on TikTok. It’s very much like the beginning of the old Rosie show in the ‘90s, where she just talks about her day. She can make anything compelling.”
Speaking generally about her friend’s approach to her career, the controversial comedian added, “She works when she wants to work, and she’s a mom when she wants to not be working and be a mom.”
What Kathy Griffin Initially Said
Griffin addressed O’Donnell filling in for Jimmy Kimmel on her official YouTube channel on August 18. In the video, she highlighted her close friendship with the former “Rosie O’Donnell Show” host before saying she was “really hurt” not to be invited on as a guest.
She then said, “I admit, I was kind of getting excited, like, yeah, this could be a really cool moment. Then that moment passed and kept passing.” Still, despite being hurt by not being invited on the show, Griffin stated, “She’s doing a great job and will continue to. If I have one call to action, it’s that you guys watch the show and support her.”
The comedian and actress went on to call the situation “tricky” because of her mixed emotions about both celebrating her friend and feeling left out.
Rosie O’Donnell’s ‘Kimmel’ Hosting Was A Hit With Viewers
O’Donnell guest-hosted ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” the week of August 17, as the second-to-last host. According to The Wrap, she became the highest-rated guest host, with her broadcasts averaging 2.17 million total viewers. In demo viewership, her shows averaged 237,000 viewers.
Compared with the previous week, O’Donnell’s overall viewership was up 40%, while demo viewers rose 34%. “Kimmel” easily took the number one spot among late-night shows, with “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” coming in second, averaging 1.43 million viewers.
The TV Legend Recently Discussed Having Another Show
O’Donnell appeared on the “Tangle” podcast in July 2026. On the show, she was asked about a potential return to TV hosting, and she admitted she’s interested and that there have been conversations.
Regarding the type of show she’d like to do, the “Now and Then” actress said, “It would look a lot like my old show, to tell you the truth. I think America wants nostalgia. I think what they don’t want is celebrity culture. I think celebrity culture is dead in America.”
She added about the fall of celebrity culture, “There was a time where, if you could get a big star on your show, the numbers went through the roof. Well, that was before the internet — really, it was before you could literally write a DM to me and I’ll respond.”
O’Donnell went on to say that she’d want her potential new show to focus on “human interest stories” and “tell good news, have fun and games with people like we used to, get to have Broadway on — and if a celebrity wants to come on and chat, that’s fantastic, but it wouldn’t be because they had a movie to promote.”
