White House calls Rosie O'Donnell 'nasty woman' after Kimmel stint

The White House on Thursday branded comedian Rosie O’Donnell a “nasty woman and a total slob,” as she wrapped a guest-hosting turn on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in which she repeatedly needled President Trump.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle delivered the broadside to Fox News Digital.

“Rosie O’Donnell is a nasty woman and a total slob whose brain has been completely destroyed by Trump Derangement Syndrome,” he said. 

The comment came near the end of a four-night run in which Ms. O’Donnell filled in for Jimmy Kimmel during his summer break, using her nightly monologues to mock Mr. Trump’s poll numbers, his renovation of the White House and his relationship with a longtime aide.

Ms. O’Donnell and Mr. Trump have sparred publicly since 2006, when she criticized him as a co-host of “The View.” Mr. Trump has since called her, among other things, a “real loser,” and he threatened to revoke her citizenship after she relocated to Ireland following his 2024 election win.

Ahead of the guest-hosting stint, Ms. O’Donnell described her relationship with Mr. Kimmel as historically distant, telling Variety the two had rarely spoken before he offered her the job. In comments picked up by Fox News Digital, she framed her decision to accept in political terms, saying, “I support what he’s doing with the First Amendment.” She went on to argue that fellow late-night host Stephen Colbert deserved similar backing when his own show ended earlier this year.

During her Thursday farewell monologue, delivered hours after the White House’s statement, Ms. O’Donnell opened by referencing the “nasty” label directly and thanked viewers for tuning in, “especially the hungry, hungry hypocrite in the White House.” She closed the segment with a reworked rendition of the Irish standard “Danny Boy,” rewritten as a pointed farewell aimed at the president, before handing the show back to Mr. Kimmel, who returns from vacation this week.