Rosie O’Donnell found an unexpected way to troll President Donald Trump on her first night as guest host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on Monday.
She never used his name and barely even referred to him.
O’Donnell, who has a long-running feud with the president, seemed ready to go there. When she came out on stage, the studio audience chanted her name and she performed a mocking version of Trump’s “YMCA” dance.
“And if you thought the president hated ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ when it was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, buckle up, people,” she said. “Buckle up.”
Much of the segment was about her move to Ireland after Trump won the 2024 election. She recalled how her child told the class they were leaving “because the president of the United States hates my mother ― but in all fairness, I believe my mother hates him more.”
With that, she seemed set to get even more direct.
“Hi,” she said straight to the camera. “I know you’re watching.”
But O’Donnell mostly shared tales about life in Ireland. Trump was barely mentioned again until the very end of the monologue. And even then, it wasn’t by name.
“And you know, right now he’s in the White House crying ’cuz I haven’t mentioned him,” she said.
O’Donnell will be subbing for Kimmel all week.
Check out her full first monologue below: