Rosie O’Donnell reveals why she really quit her iconic talk show

Rosie O’Donnell has revealed the real reason why she stepped away from her iconic talk show over two decades ago.

The Rosie O’Donnell Show ran from 1996 to 2002 and was anticipated to continue, had the 64-year-old comedian signed a two-year contract with a mᴀssive offer. 

O’Donnell told Page Six in a new interview that Warner Brothers offered her a $100 million paycheck to host her show for just a few more years. 

However, O’Donnell, who is worth a reported $80 million, shockingly turned down the nine-figure salary.

‘When I heard that [number], I thought, “OK, now I’m done,”‘ she told the outlet. ‘And everyone was like, “Why are you leaving?”‘ 

She said that after knowing she ‘had enough money to take care of everyone in my life, philanthropy and strangers,’ she wanted to step away from her talk show career to spend more time with her five children. 

Rosie O’Donnell has revealed the real reason why she stepped away from her iconic talk show over two decades ago; seen in June 

The Rosie O’Donnell Show ran from 1996 to 2002 and was anticipated to continue, had the 64-year-old comedian signed a two-year contract with a mᴀssive offer; seen in 1996

‘I wanted to be at their softball games. I wanted to be at school plays,’ she said. 

When she refused the $100 million, O’Donnell recalled how the studio bigwigs reacted in utter shock. 

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‘They were like, “Why would you say no?” And I was like, “Because I already have that money, and if I think I need more, something’s wrong with me.” 

‘I don’t get the billionaires,’ she continued.

‘I don’t get how people only measure their life in money, not what they can do for other people.’ 

The Daily Mail has reached out to O’Donnell’s representatives for further comment. 

O’Donnell, who moved to Ireland after President Donald Trump won the 2024 election, recently traveled back to the states to perform on Broadway. 

She will be presenting her critically acclaimed, one-woman show, Common Knowledge, for a limited time over the summer. 

She will also be a guest host of Jimmy Kimmel’s late night talk show for a week in August. 

O’Donnell told Page Six in a new interview that Warner Brothers offered her a $100 million paycheck to host her show for just a few more years 

She said that after knowing she ‘had enough money to take care of everyone in my life, philanthropy and strangers,’ she wanted to step away from her talk show career to spend more time with her children; seen with Madonna in 1997

O’Donnell is one of a rotating lineup of guest hosts filling in during Kimmel’s two-month summer hiatus. 

Kimmel confirmed the news in a social media post three weeks ago and jokingly referred to having Trump’s ‘all-time favorites’ nemeses as a ‘special treat.’ 

O’Donnell responded by writing that she ‘can’t wait’ to fill in for Kimmel during his vacation. 

In Common Knowledge, O’Donnell opens up about her traumatic childhood as well as living in Ireland and raising a child with autism, her youngest child Clay.

O’Donnell is a mother to five children including Clay, whom she welcomed with her late ex-wife Michelle Rounds. 

‘I already have that money, and if I think I need more, something’s wrong with me,’ she recalled thinking; seen in 2008

O’Donnell, who moved to Ireland after President Donald Trump won the 2024 election, recently traveled back to the states to perform on Broadway and to do a guest host stint; seen in 2025

The comedian also shares adult four children — Parker, Chelsea, Blake and Vivienne — with ex-wife Kelli Carpenter. 

She said the theme of her one-woman show explores motherhood and how a ‘motherless daughter’ learned ‘to be a mother to all these children.’ 

O’Donnell mother died of breast cancer when she was age 10. She told the outlet that raising Clay has been ‘very different.’ 

‘It’s allowed me to see how I parented when I was younger in the midst of a high level of fame versus how I parent now with this one child who’s more vulnerable than any of my other children ever were.’