Rosie O’Donnell Breaks Her Silence About Ellen DeGeneres Ending Her Show

Rosie O’Donnell has broken her silence this week about Ellen DeGeneres ending her daytime talk show, saying that the situation is “complicated.”

“I have an understanding of the cycle of show business, and kind of what happens in people’s careers, and when enough is enough,” O’Donnell, 59, said while appearing on Sirius XM’s “The Jess Cagle Show.”

“Oftentimes people don’t know that. I think I have a good balance of both in my life, of the importance of both,” she added. “And it’s hard to maintain. It’s hard to do, especially when you’re doing a show like that.”

Backstory: Ellen DeGeneres Announces The End Of Her Show After Scandals Tank Her Ratings

O’Donnell Is Compared To DeGeneres

Host Jess Cagle, who was Editor in Chief of People magazine from 2014 – 2019, brought up the time Rosie O’Donnell was dubbed “The Queen of Nice.” O’Donnell hosted her own daytime talk show from 1996 to 2002. 

O’Donnell confessed that her own moniker “bit her in the a**,” suggesting that public perceptions change over time.

“I said the day it came out, ‘look at this, the queen of nice. In a couple years it’s going to be the queen of lice, the queen of fried rice, you know, the queen of we don’t like her anymore,” she said jokingly. 

As you know, DeGeneres famously ends every episode by telling fans to “be kind to one another.”

That phrase was thrown back in her face when allegations of a toxic work place for her staff surfaced last year. Some of her former employees as well as current current ones accused DeGeneres of ignoring to racism, intimidation, and sexual misconduct on the set of her show.

Here’s a video of Ellen apologizing for what happened behind the scenes at her show. She also says being known as the “be kind” lady is a tricky position to be in and explains why.

O’Donnell Feels Her Experience Was Different Than DeGeneres’

However, Rosie O’Donnell went on to say that she feels her own experience was different from that of Ellen DeGeneres’.

“I don’t think it was the ‘be kind’ thing that got her. I think that’s oversimplification,” O’Donnell explained. “But it was a lot of things, and it was complicated, and I’m glad that she’s, you know, going to be finished and she can get some time to herself.”

“It’s a huge kind of strange thing to be on a show like that, and have all that attention on you,” she added. “And she had it for like 19 years. So, you know, it’s a tough thing.”

Related: Ellen DeGeneres’ Toxic Workplace Scandal Comes Back To Haunt Her – Struggles With Ratings, Guests, And Advertisers

Rosie Feels ‘Compassion’ For DeGeneres

DeGeneres’ “be kind” mantra blew up in her face last year when she was accused of turning a blind eye to a toxic workplace on the set of her show. At the time, O’Donnell said that she had “compassion” for DeGeneres. 

“If you have a daily show, you can’t fake your essence,” O’Donnell said while appearing on the “Busy Philips is Doing Her Best” podcast last summer. “That’s why I have compassion for Ellen. I have compassion, even though I hear the stories, and I understand.”

DeGeneres announced last month that her show would be ending, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “As great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it’s just not a challenge anymore.”