Rosie O’Donnell reflects on ‘painful’ demise of 30-year friendship with Ellen DeGeneres

Rosie O’Donnell still thinks about her “painful” fallout with once-close friend Ellen DeGeneres.

During Monday’s episode of the “No Filter with Kate Langbroek” podcast, O’Donnell reflected on the rejection she felt when DeGeneres told Larry King in 2004 that she didn’t know the fellow comedian-turned-talk-show host and that they weren’t friends.

O’Donnell, 63, recalled standing by DeGeneres’ side when the latter came out as gay on her “Rosie O’Donnell Show,” which ran from 1996 to 2002, which inspired the former to come out as well.

“I wouldn’t leave her out there alone. I couldn’t do it,” O’Donnell told Langbroek, adding that she “had to stand by her and hold her hand.”

But according to the actress, DeGeneres, 67, “never really … appreciated that moment.” She pointed to the “Larry King Live” appearance in question.

“And he asked her, ‘What ever happened to Rosie O’Donnell? Her show went down the tubes,’” O’Donnell recalled.

“And Ellen said, ‘I don’t know Rosie. We’re not friends.’ And that was one of the most painful things that ever happened to me in show business and my life. I couldn’t believe it.”

When Langbroek asked why DeGeneres said that, the “League of Their Own” star lamented, “I don’t know, because I have photos of her holding my newborn babies. I knew her for 30 years. … It was very painful, and we’ve never gotten over it.”

O’Donnell claimed DeGeneres didn’t reach out to apologize or explain herself. Moreover, the “Finding Nemo” star didn’t ask O’Donnell to appear on her “Ellen DeGeneres Show,” which ran from 2003 to 2022, until 2009.

“And instead of deciding to stand next to me and hold my hand, which is what I did to her, she did the opposite. And I couldn’t believe it,” O’Donnell said.

Regarding the demise of DeGeneres’ talk show following allegations that she mistreated her staff, O’Donnell opined, “I knew the way she treated me must be the way she treats others, and I felt very betrayed.”

While the “Harriet the Spy” star insisted that she doesn’t “wish her any ill will,” she admitted that she “could never get past” the hurt.

“And a lot of times, she has written me and said, ‘Why are you still talking about this [after] all these years?’” she claimed.

In 2022, months after “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” ended, O’Donnell recalled the same story to Andy Cohen during an appearance on “Watch What Happens Live.”

“I didn’t quite know how to answer that. I said, ‘Well, it was profound for me. It was a profound moment.’ … I would’ve apologized. I would’ve said, ‘I’m really sorry I hurt you that much. And I don’t know why I did that, and it was a mistake. And I hope you can forgive me.’ That’s what I would’ve done,” O’Donnell told Langbroek.

“But I think in her mind, she thinks I keep rehashing it for pleasure. I don’t rehash it for pleasure; I rehash it because our careers have taken parallel interwoven paths — we’re gay talk show hosts, and we’re around the same age — so people would always ask me about it. And I have a hard time not telling the truth.”

Following her “WWHL” appearance, O’Donnell told The Hollywood Reporter that DeGeneres texted her saying, “I’m really sorry, and I don’t remember that.”