Rosie O’Donnell did not wait long to acknowledge the person everyone expected to come up when she returned to a talk-show desk. On her first night filling in for Jimmy Kimmel, she looked directly into the camera and delivered a brief message to President Donald Trump: “Hi! I know you’re watching.”
O’Donnell opened her Aug. 17 Jimmy Kimmel Live! monologue to a standing ovation before warning viewers what her week behind Kimmel’s desk might bring. “If you thought the president hated Jimmy Kimmel Live! when it was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel? Buckle up, people! Buckle up,” she said.
Trump was not actually the subject of most of the monologue. O’Donnell spent much of her opening discussing her move to Ireland, the reception she received there and what it felt like to sit behind a television desk again decades after The Rosie O’Donnell Show ended its original run.
The appearance began four scheduled nights of guest-hosting duties while Kimmel is away. O’Donnell’s first episode featured Hannah Waddingham, Ana Gasteyer and the Linda Lindas, along with an emotional tribute to Hayden Panettiere following the actress’ death at 36.
O’Donnell Told Trump, ‘I Know You’re Watching’
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O’Donnell’s most direct message to Trump came while she was telling a story about her child, Clay, adjusting to life in Ireland. According to Entertainment Weekly, O’Donnell recalled Clay explaining at school that the family had moved because “the president of the United States hates my mother,” before adding, “in all fairness, I believe my mother hates him more.”
O’Donnell then stopped, looked into the camera and said, “Hi! I know you’re watching.” Elsewhere in the monologue, she referred to Trump as “Mango Mussolini” while discussing her decision to leave the United States. She never actually used Trump’s name during the opening, instead referring to him by his office, the nickname and other indirect references.
Trump and O’Donnell have publicly traded criticism and insults for roughly two decades, dating back to her time on The View in 2006. Kimmel had already leaned into that history when he announced his summer guest hosts in June. He called O’Donnell a “special treat” for the president and jokingly asked Trump not to “do anything stupid” while Kimmel was away.
Near the end of Monday’s opening, O’Donnell joked that Trump might be “in the White House crying, because I haven’t mentioned him.”
Ireland Took Up More of the Monologue Than Her Trump Feud
Despite the buildup surrounding O’Donnell’s history with Trump, much of her first monologue focused on her life in Ireland. O’Donnell moved there ahead of Trump’s second inauguration and said during Monday’s show that she had no longer felt safe living in the United States.
Her material quickly shifted into lighter territory. She joked about Irish drinking culture, the kindness she has encountered from strangers and an unsuccessful attempt to ask out her pharmacist. O’Donnell called the people she has met in Ireland “the kindest” she has encountered and told the audience she would “be home soon.”
The appearance also allowed her to revisit her own television history. The Rosie O’Donnell Show ran from 1996 to 2002, when O’Donnell became known as the “Queen of Nice.” “I haven’t sat behind a desk on TV in almost 30 years,” she joked before contrasting the political and cultural anxieties of the 1990s with the present day.
The talk-show references extended to the kind of playful material associated with her old daytime series, including a Koosh ball callback and O’Donnell calling Jimmy Kimmel Live! regular Guillermo Rodriguez a “cutie patootie.”
Her Talk-Show Return Included a Hayden Panettiere Tribute
O’Donnell stepped away from comedy during the episode to remember Hayden Panettiere, who died on Aug. 16. “I’m just heartbroken over the passing of Hayden Panettiere,” O’Donnell said, according to Variety.
Panettiere had appeared on The Rosie O’Donnell Show multiple times as a child performer, giving O’Donnell a personal connection to her that stretched back decades.
O’Donnell remembered Panettiere’s willingness to speak publicly about mental health and said she had been doing so before many people were ready to have those conversations. She then sent her love to Panettiere’s family and friends.
The tribute came two days before what would have been Panettiere’s 37th birthday. Her family confirmed her death at 36, while authorities in Greenville, South Carolina, continue investigating the cause.
O’Donnell Is Scheduled to Stay Behind Kimmel’s Desk Through Thursday
O’Donnell’s Aug. 17 episode was the first of four currently scheduled nights as Jimmy Kimmel Live! guest host. ABC’s lineup has Jean Smart, Richard Gadd and musical guest Ashley McBryde booked for Tuesday. Charlie Day and Janelle James are scheduled for Wednesday.
Thursday’s guests are Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman, Shawn Hatosy and musical guest Sydney James Harcourt. ABC’s published schedule currently lists Friday, Aug. 21 as “TBC,” so O’Donnell is confirmed as guest host through Thursday.