Additional Coverage:
- Rosie O’Donnell opens up about her reaction to her child, 12, coming out as nonbinary (themirror.com)
Comedian and actress Rosie O’Donnell recently shared a heartwarming story about her 12-year-old child, Clay, coming out as nonbinary. In an interview, O’Donnell recounted the conversation, saying Clay simply stated, “Mommy, I’m nonbinary.
I’m not a boy and I’m not a girl. My pronouns are they/them, and I’d like them respected.”
O’Donnell’s response? “Okay, fantastic.”
She jokingly wondered if Clay might be “Harvey Milk reincarnated.”
O’Donnell, who identifies as a lesbian, also shared a touching exchange where Clay, after coming out, asked about O’Donnell’s own experience. O’Donnell explained her journey of self-discovery as a lesbian in a much less accepting time, highlighting the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals like Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, who had to hide their sexual orientation to continue their careers. Clay, according to O’Donnell, was “stunned” by the contrast between their experience and O’Donnell’s.
O’Donnell, a mother of five, also recently revealed she and Clay are now living in Ireland, a move she felt was the “safest and best thing” for their family. While expressing happiness for herself and Clay, she admitted missing her other children and friends in the US. She indicated a potential return when “it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America.”
O’Donnell also discussed her role in the HBO Max series And Just Like That…, where she plays Mary, a character who has a brief romantic encounter with Cynthia Nixon’s character, Miranda. The storyline involves a humorous and somewhat awkward one-night stand, culminating in a cringe-worthy scene in Times Square. O’Donnell and Nixon, longtime friends off-screen, enjoyed working together on the show.