Rosie O’Donnell and Kathy Griffin’s longtime friendship may have hit a serious rough patch after Griffin publicly aired her hurt feelings over not being invited onto Jimmy Kimmel Live! during O’Donnell’s guest-hosting stint.
RadarOnline reports that O’Donnell has now decided to distance herself from Griffin, citing unnamed insiders who claim the comedian was frustrated that a private issue became public.
That alleged decision has not been confirmed by either woman, however, and there is no public statement from O’Donnell saying that she has ended the friendship.
What is confirmed is that Griffin publicly discussed the situation in August.
In a video posted to her official YouTube channel titled “If Rosie Would’ve Called, I Would’ve Jumped,” Griffin said her feelings were “really hurt” after she was not invited to appear during O’Donnell’s guest-hosting run on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Watch Kathy Griffin’s original video here
Griffin explained that she and O’Donnell had recently spent time together and that she had told Rosie she would love to appear during her week behind Kimmel’s desk.
As the dates approached, Griffin said friends began asking which night she would appear, leading her to become increasingly hopeful that an invitation was coming.
It never did.
Griffin also acknowledged in the video that she did not know how much control O’Donnell actually had over the show’s guest bookings.
O’Donnell then responded directly beneath Griffin’s Instagram post, writing: “Kathy – shoulda called me honey – I didn’t choose the guests.”
Entertainment Weekly independently reported the exchange at the time and noted that Griffin continued to express support for O’Donnell despite feeling disappointed.
ABC’s own listings confirm that O’Donnell guest-hosted several Jimmy Kimmel Live! episodes in August.
Her guests included Jean Smart, Richard Gadd, Charlie Day, Janelle James, Megan Mullally, Nick Offerman and others. Griffin was not listed among the guests.
But the Kimmel issue was not Griffin’s only complaint.
In the same video, Griffin said she had also been hurt by comments O’Donnell made about Griffin’s controversial 2017 photo shoot involving a fake severed head made to resemble Donald Trump.
O’Donnell had said she felt Griffin suffered greatly from the backlash that followed the stunt while also making clear she did not agree with Griffin’s decision to pose for the photo.
Griffin said she was surprised to hear that criticism from someone she considered a longtime friend.
Even then, Griffin stopped short of declaring the friendship over.
She described the pair as being like sisters and said disagreements can happen between close friends.
“We’re not even fighting,” Griffin said at the time, while explaining that she simply wanted to be honest about how she felt.
That makes the latest claim of a complete friendship breakup more difficult to establish independently.
RadarOnline now cites a source who claims O’Donnell was particularly bothered by Griffin discussing the matter publicly instead of contacting her privately.
According to the outlet, O’Donnell has chosen not to engage in a larger feud and is instead “stepping away.”
Neither O’Donnell nor Griffin has publicly confirmed that characterization as of September 17.
The exchange nevertheless shows that there was genuine tension between the two longtime performers, and unlike Radar’s anonymous-source claim, that part is documented through Griffin’s own video and O’Donnell’s public response.
The two women have known each other for decades and have frequently spoken publicly about their friendship and their careers.
For now, the clearest conclusion is that their relationship has been strained — but whether that strain has actually ended the friendship remains unconfirmed.
