Ellen DeGeneres shows unexpected support for Rosie O'Donnell in Trump feud

What did Ellen DeGeneres say on Instagram about the Donald Trump vs. Rosie O'Donnell feud?

On Sunday, July 13, DeGeneres shared an Instagram carousel with two screenshots — and a caption — to comment on the intense Donald Trump vs. Rosie O'Donnell feud.

The first screenshot shared by DeGeneres was of Trump's Truth Social post declaring that O'Donnell is a "threat to humanity," adding that he's "giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship." The second screenshot in DeGeneres's post was the full statement O'Donnell shared in response to Trump's attacks and defend herself.

DeGeneres wrote in the caption, "Good for you @rosie."

If you're unfamiliar with the decades-long feud between O'Donnell and DeGeneres — or perhaps just need a quick refresher — we're happy to help.

Were Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell always in a feud?

No, they were not. Rosie O'Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres were two talk show hosts, comedians, and actresses who came out as lesbians in the late 1990s and early 2000s. For years, they ran in the same social circles for years and maintained a good relationship.

DeGeneres only came out in "The Puppy Episode" of her Ellen sitcom, which aired in April 1997. However, pressure on her to disclose that information with the public had reached an all-time high in 1996. Meanwhile, O'Donnell had just started her daytime talk show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, from NBC Studios. In that first year, DeGeneres appeared as a guest on O'Donnell's show, and the two of them delivered one of the most hilarious and unforgettable interviews of all time.

"Lots of rumors in the press," O'Donnell said in the interview, referencing reports about DeGeneres's character (named Ellen Morgan) on the Ellen sitcom. "Let's straighten the whole thing out. Tell me what's gonna happen with Ellen Morgan."

DeGeneres explained that she and the Ellen writers had been "really trying to build this up slowly" before revealing it, adding: "We do find out that the character is Lebanese," she said, maintaining a straight face.

O'Donnell reacted, "Lebanese… Just out of the blue?"

"No, there's been clues," DeGeneres replied. "I mean, you've seen her eating baba ghanoush if you watch the show at all. And humus. And big, big fan of [Lebanese actors] Casey Kasem and Kathy Najimy's."

O'Donnell, who was doing her very best not to laugh, replied, "Hey, wait a minute… I'm a big fan of Casey Kasem. Maybe I'm Lebanese!"

"You could be Lebanese!" DeGeneres replied, now having a harder time keeping herself from laughing.

O'Donnell added, "I could be Lebanese myself, I didn't know that."

"You know, I pick up sometimes that you might be Lebanese," DeGeneres said.

According to various accounts from O'Donnell about that interview, she didn't want DeGeneres "to be out there alone," as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. In an attempt to help, O'Donnell brought up the idea that perhaps she was Lebanese as well, even though she only officially came out eight years later.

While it can be frustrating to watch people in the LGBTQ+ community having to hide certain parts of themselves through jokes and innuendo — or not even addressing the topic at all — this was an actually entertaining and hilarious moment that took place between two lesbians who not only played for the same team, but were also in on the same joke.

When did the Rosie O'Donnell vs. Ellen DeGeneres feud start, and what happened between them?

The relationship between Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell went from friendship to all-out feud on September 7, 2004 after DeGeneres shared certain remarks about O'Donnell in a Larry King Live interview on CNN.

King asked DeGeneres if she had any thoughts on why The Rosie O'Donnell Show was canceled. "I don't know… I don't really know Rosie that well," DeGeneres replied, as transcribed by CNN. "I mean, I've spoken to her, but we're not really friends."

Later in the interview, King claimed that "the most controversial Rosie got, the less successful her show got."

"And here's the thing: I don't really think I'm controversial. I think what I did was controversial," DeGeneres explained. "Anytime you announce something about yourself, especially when it's not socially accepted and people don't understand it, that's controversial. I've never been political. I've never really been outspoken. I'm a comedian who happens to be gay."

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter from 2023, O'Donnell reflected on her friendship with DeGeneres and recalled how "Time ran its 'Yep, I'm Gay' cover, and everybody was asking me, 'What do you think about Ellen?'…It became a strange, 'There can't be two lesbians in this town,' kind of a thing."

O'Donnell admitted that she and DeGeneres had "weirdness in our relationship," adding: "I don't know if it's jealousy, competition, or the fact that she said a mean thing about me once that really hurt my feelings."

When asked to specify which comments, O'Donnell replied:

"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?'"

O'Donnell went on, "It would never occur to me to say 'I don't know her' about somebody whose babies I held when they were born. It wouldn't be in my lexicon of choices to ever say. When she was in a perplexing situation and people were saying things about her, I said, 'Let me stand next to you and say that I'm Lebanese, too.' When it was a downward media time for me, she didn't do anything."

As of this writing, O'Donnell hasn't shared a public reaction to DeGeneres's post showing her support.