Late Late Show talking points, including Rosie O’Donnell on Trump and moving to Ireland
Late Late Show host Patrick Kielty with Rosie O'Donnell
Talk show host and comedian Rosie O’Donnell joined Patrick Kielty to discuss her recent move from the US to Ireland and her fears around Donald Trump’s presidency.
Having revealed last week that she moved to Dublin in January, O’Donnell confirmed she made the decision in light of Trump’s reelection and his long-standing feud with her.
O’Donnell moved to Ireland with her teenage daughter, who is autistic, and said she feared her child would be denied essential services amid Trump’s cutbacks.
“It's going to be disastrous for children on the spectrum. That was terrifying.”
She described Trump’s comments about her to Taoiseach Micheal Martin in the Oval Office last week as “surreal”.
“He's been doing it for two decades, and I'm still not used to it every time he does,” she said. “I felt very troubled that they put the Taoiseach in that position and didn't treat him with the respect that a leader of that kind deserves when they're visiting the White House.”
She revealed that she emailed the Taoiseach’s office to offer her apologies as she believed he was put in an uncomfortable position.
“I just wanted him to know the history and what happened and why [Trump] seems to be out to get me in ways that are startling to most.”
She also voiced her concerns about the people Trump is surrounded by, including billionaire Elon Musk and MMA fighter Conor McGregor.
“I question why the first time in American history a president has won every swing state and is also best friends [with] his largest donor ... a man who owns and runs the internet. So I would hope that that would be investigated,” she said of Musk.
O'Donnell was also asked her opinion on Trump inviting McGregor to the White House on St Patrick’s Day, months after he was found civilly liable in a High Court damages case in Dublin taken by a woman who accused him of rape.
“Very depressing. It seems very strange to me that the President of the United States has so many friends who are sexual abusers,” she said.
Donegal singer Daniel O'Donnell (no relation to Rosie) was back on the show to discuss his upcoming tour but it was his wit that shone through in a banter-filled evening.
He spoke about his recent trip to Disneyland with his family, including his grandchildren, and shared how close he feels to them.
“The children, Siobhan and Michael, are from [Majella’s] first marriage, and the grandchildren are from Siobhan,” he explained to fellow guest Rosie, aware she may not be as familiar with his background as the audience was.
“But the joy that they bring me is beyond anything I could ever have hoped for.”
O’Donnell also shared a story about recreating his Communion photo for and how annoyed he was by one wardrobe element, with a reference to his guest appearance on in 2018.
“I never thought this would come out,” he said when the photos appeared on screen, showing young Daniel and the Daniel of today wearing short trousers.
“This was for and I thought, you know, is in England, they wouldn't see it at home.”
However, the decision to chop the legs off a new suit to make short trousers did not sit well with O’Donnell.
“That was a full-length suit and she cut the legs off at the knee. I was thinking, what a waste.”
Who had Daniel O'Donnell explaining Room To Improve to Rosie O'Donnell on their bingo card? #latelate pic.twitter.com/z5JhfuxWhS
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At this point he turned to Rosie to fill her in on some Daniel O’Donnell lore.
“You probably you don't know the history of me. We had our house renovated on a show called with Dermot Bannon, and they wanted to throw out our old wardrobes. You know yourself, good wardrobes. And I said, no way, we're keeping the wardrobes.
“And to think then that they cut legs off a new suit and the wardrobe second hand in the house. But anyway, that's the way it goes.”
There was a third, unseen O’Donnell on Friday’s : O’Donnell's Crisps.
When Rosie O’Donnell told Daniel O’Donnell that she received a welcome gift from O’Donnell’s Crisps when she relocated to Ireland, the Donegal O’Donnell was not impressed.
“I believe that she's here three weeks, or whatever. You're here, and you have boxes of free crisps got already. I have to buy mine,” he said.
“But I tell you something now, O'Donnell's hear this, I am not happy.”
And the presents for Howth’s newest resident didn’t stop there, with Kielty gifting Rosie with her own copy of Daniel’s calendar. The item has proven so popular on TikTok O'Donnell joked he’s considering a different style for 2026: “I'm going to do a topless one next year.”
And he vowed to share some love for crisps on social media too, telling fellow guests Roisin Conaty and Rosie O’Donnell: “I definitely have to get on the Instagram now, and I may just put up a bag of Tayto.”
Oof. Surely an apology box of crisps is winging its way to one O’Donnell from another.
Finally, jockeys Paul Townend and Rachael Blackmore were on the show to discuss Cheltenham and they paid tribute to Michael O’Sullivan who passed away in Cork University Hospital last month from injuries sustained in a fall in Thurles ten days earlier.
Blackmoore said the loss of O’Sullivan was “devastating” and spoke about the risks jockeys take when racing.
“It was his passion, it's what he loved doing. I think jockeys are similar to Formula One drivers, we just never think about the risks,” she said.
“If you do think about the risks, you're going to drive or ride conservatively and mediocre. And Michael was the furthest thing from mediocre.”
The first race at Cheltenham this year was named in honour of O’Sullivan and won by Townend, who spoke about the emotional impact of that win.
“Anyone that was lucky enough to meet Michael, he left a long, lasting memory with everyone. I was just the fortunate one that won the race, and I was privileged to win it in his name,” Townend said.
He added he felt “every kind of emotion” when he crossed the finish line. “I'm sure he was looking down watching the festival.”
