'I Feel Re-Famous': Rosie O'Donnell on Her Return to New York

20:01Right. I mean, Ellen wasn't out. No, I know. Will and Grace wasn't on.

20:04Kara Swisher:I know. You know, it was a time where I was too afraid to be the first, and I was afraid of losing everything, including my children. Yeah. Yes. I remember you saying that. I remember you saying it was a really hard time to do that. So when I did come out and people were shocked, I was shocked. I'm like, they go, well, you said you liked Tom Cruise. I said I wanted him to mow my lawn and bring me lemonade. Right, right. You know, and there are men that I feel that way about. There's Sidney Harcourt in the Jellicle Ball who plays Rum Tum Tugger. Rum Tum Tugger. He's a hot piece of humor. Oh, my Lord.

20:38And he, when I was up there doing that, he gave me my face a caress and I was like, oh, my God. You know, but I don't want them naked in my bed. Right, right. You know, I just love men in a different kind of way.

20:50Kara Swisher:I hate to quote Roseanne Barr, but she did have the best jokes. I don't know why people think lesbians hate men. They don't have to sleep with them. See, I don't like to laugh at Roseanne Barr these days, but it's a great joke. I know. It's very sad what's happened to her. The previous, the person formerly known as Funny Roseanne Barr. Yes. Anyways, interesting conversation. I'm glad you did because I think it means a lot to young people especially. Oh, yeah. And my life was so much more fulfilling, easy, and... you know, chaos free. And then you had a gay cruise. I mean. Well, then we went all the way gay, right?

21:22We cut the hair short. We did the whole thing. You did.

21:26Kara Swisher:We'll be back in a minute.

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24:45Kara Swisher:Gruen's ingredients are backed by over 35 ,000 research publications. You can't fit the amount of nutrients Gruen's does into one daily gummy, which is why it comes in a pack. Save 52 % off with the code CARA at gruens.co. That's code CARA, K-A-R-A-G-R-U-N-S dot C-O. Let's talk about politics because one of the – it's an important part of the show. I thought the most moving part was obviously about your family and you returning to Ireland. That was very beautiful. But politics are there everywhere hanging over you. And just this week, Trump attacked you. I don't know if you saw. He did another attack of you on True Social.

25:21No, I didn't see that one. I'm sorry to say.

25:24Kara Swisher:Yeah. It's not even a good one, actually. He brought you up in a very strange speech he gave at the White House Correspondent. Oh, yes. Sorry, I did see that. Also that. That I saw. There was a second one. Oh, there was another one. Yeah, there's another one. And people know you're an outspoken critic of Trump, and people don't realize you've done it since 2006. But what do you want the audience to understand about how your public feud with the president affects your daily life? Because you talked a little bit about in the show. Well, you know, when I talked about him on The View, I told the truth what every New Yorker my age knows about him, that he is not a self-made man, that he got his father's money, that he is a grifter, that he is a logo slapper, that he's not in fact a builder, that, you know, his apprentice days were all fiction, sold as fact, and people believed them.

26:10Like, I saw him for who he was from the time I was a little kid, from the time I knew who he was. I was like, this guy's a joke. He's a used car salesman. He's a snake oil salesman. And I said it. And he went absolutely batshit crazy. Yeah.

26:25Kara Swisher:You were sort of the first that you really did focus on. Yes, exactly. And I think it's because I'm from Comac, which is on Long Island, and he's from Queens, which is part of Long Island. And I think I'm those girls that he didn't like in elementary school who were tough and maybe grew up to be gay, who would talk back to the idiot rich boys who thought they were funny, who were obnoxious, and make fun of them and say, you're not playing with us. You're not playing kickball. And I think that is what got him, that he thinks he has elevated himself from where he used to be to who he is now. And I am one of the peasants.

27:03And how dare a peasant from my community speak to me like that?

27:07Kara Swisher:Right. Although I think it's a little more common. I think he actually thinks he's just still as low. He's still the person looking. Oh, that's the point. He still feels that low. That's why he had to come after me because it reminds him that I get his number and so does so many millions of people. Right. And so in being a vocal critic of the Trump administration, you get a lot of harassment for it. And then you remain as outspoken as ever. Talk about what compels you to keep speaking out. And if you feel if you could have taken that back, I don't believe you would. No, I never would have taken it back.

27:38I feel it's my responsibility to stand up for this country that has given me so much. That here I'm a young girl with a, you know. Star search. Exactly. I'm a young girl that came from nowhere and made, you know, this life for myself and these children. Only in this country could this happen. And I feel beholden to that. I feel responsible for that. I feel like it is my responsibility to give back. And this is what I feel is the best way that I can do that is by saying, please take note of this. Please remember this. Please know who we are as a nation.

28:15Kara Swisher:Do you ever get – the online harassment is rather large. I mean, now he has lots of targets, right? Yes. As I said, at the White House correspondent, he went after Caitlin Collins. He goes after – it's always women. It's often women or men he perceives as weak in some fashion. Or men he's afraid of, like De Niro. Yes, De Niro. I believe he's afraid of De Niro. I believe De Niro is everything he wishes he was. Yes. Yeah, that's a good point. Yeah, he keeps going too. Yeah. What is the cost to you at this point? Well, you know, I don't feel it's a cost to me. I feel that all the love and respect and admiration that I've received since being back in New York and all of the success of the show and then getting to do Kimmel is because of it.

29:00I don't think it's cost me. Now, I know I've heard a lot of people, including Anna Navarro, talking about how people come up to her and say things to her. No one has ever come up to me besides once in a CVS when I was with my kid. A MAGA guy wearing a MAGA hat and a MAGA, everything started sort of loudly yelling. And I said, I have a small child here who is autistic, and I think you better back up. And then we left, and Clay said, why is that man so mad? And I said, he really likes the president. And she says, oh, that bad guy. And I say, exactly right. He likes the bad guy. So he's full of bad stuff.

29:39Right, right, right. So only once. That's only once. So no one has like, people don't stop me and go, I love Trump. People stop me and say, thank you. Yeah. So I haven't experienced what Anna Navarro has experienced. Now, online is a different thing. Right. But I have words that you can put to block, you know, and so I don't see a lot of them. If you go on my feed, you might be overwhelmed by, oh, my God, look at this. But when I watch it, I go, well, it's not that bad.

30:04Kara Swisher:It's been clarifying for some people to see how being rich doesn't make you brave, I think, when you're talking about these rich guys. And I've seen it for ages with the tech guys. And Scott talks a lot about how they have fuck you money. In reality, it's made them more scared. They don't say fuck you, which is really interesting. When Jeff Bezos had that lavish wedding in Italy last year, you wrote about the gross excess of it all turned your stomach. I agree completely. What do you think has happened with these people? These are the current rich, right? And you're mixed with lots of rich people.

30:33Yes, I think that people who only measure in money have lost the reason for living. And when I left my show, that was the reason. I had more than enough money to take care of myself and my children and the people in my life for the rest of my life. Should I spend it wisely and not go crazy, right? And that's what I've done. And I'm in a good place. And I don't need to work. I love to work. I'm happy when I get to do a wonderful piece of art, but it was never my motivation. Now, to say that I didn't want a better life than the one I had, that's the truth. I didn't want to have to be struggling and my mother cutting coupons and us wearing hand-me-downs and shopping at Corvettes.

31:15But the people who only measure in money and don't care about anyone else, I just think they're selfish idiots. And especially Bezos, what he does to his employees at Amazon, and then he has the balls to go have that indecent wedding. And all the people who showed up, I was like, this is horrifying.

31:35Kara Swisher:Right, right, yeah. You know, absolutely. One of the things that's interesting is they think of themselves as victims. You do know that. Yes. They talk as if they're the victims and how dear. I had many of them come up to me after my book was written. They said, you are so mean. I'm like, I'm not mean enough. No. And it turned out, as it turned out, it got worse and worse. Yes. And this was pre-standing in the front of the Trump inauguration. Why do you think they're doing that? Because having enough has not become a concept in America. It seems to have gotten out of control. But it certainly is a concept in Ireland.

32:07Yeah. It totally is that you should spend your days happily working at something you like in order to take holidays. And that's what the Irish do. They take long holidays every year. All through Europe they do. Right. It's beautiful. And it's a balance in life. I think we've lost the balance in America. Capitalism. With Trump as president. Correct. Corporate ownership of everything, including our fourth estate, which is horrifying to see what has happened. And the fact that President Trump can berate a woman and the press corps just asked the next question. Why they don't ask the same question that Caitlin Collins asked.

32:48Why they don't stand up for each other. Why they don't walk out together. Why they don't. It boggles my mind. Well, because there's money to be made by the corporations that own it that are not seeking the truth. And without the fourth estate, one of the pillars of our democracy, we're doomed.

33:06Kara Swisher:Yeah, I would agree. Although there's a real surge in independent media at the same time. There sure is. And that's the only place to go for it. Right. Absolutely. And also Trump's popularity is in the toilet right now, largely due to the war in Iran. He's handling the economy. People are tired of his act. I think. And the fact that he's falling asleep, that he's very physically ill, that he doesn't look like he's long for this earth, that he shouldn't be the man in control of the nuclear codes. Like, these are things that everyone around him knows, but America just goes for you. Well, no, his polls are proving his low 30s.

33:37Kara Swisher:This is the lowest of any president. And do you think his base is finally breaking in a meaningful way? Yes, I think people are waking up. Yes, they are. And I think it's taken a very long time. and so many people have suffered and people have died because of him. Many people. And they're over the charade. He thinks this is a reality show. And I do blame Mark Burnett for teaching him that you tell a lie long enough on TV, it becomes the truth. I think it was a natural for him. Well, Roy Cohen taught him that too. Roy Cohen taught him that. Yes. And I think he was born that way. But you talked a lot about the need to welcome people back who've realized they've been conned by Trump.

34:14Kara Swisher:I have said that too. I get a lot of pushback. I do too. I get people who write on the thing, I will never forgive them. I'm like, well, then we will never be the country that we once were. Right. And I think the pain is deep for a lot of people. So how do you do that personally? You too. Because, you know, you get attacked online quite a lot. And I get attacked quite a lot. And I have to say, you have to let them back in. Or some of them. Not all of them. Not all of them. But I'll tell you a recent one. You know, Michael Cohen, who was the creator of many of the Rosie's, the fat, disgusting, pervert stuff.

34:45Kara Swisher:Right. When he turned on Trump and Trump was doing all kinds of things to him, I wrote him a letter and said that, you know, I forgive you for what I know you did. And I want you to know that I'm proud of the stance that you're taking. And he wrote me and asked me to come visit him in prison. And I did. And I had a six-hour visit with him. And we maintained, you know, a friendship over the phone or online. And now he's back with Trump. And I blocked him, and I will never speak to him again. I can't believe that this man had to come to Jesus and understood his role in this horrific catastrophe that is Trump.

35:28And then he reconciled with him. And I was stunned. And it made me feel at that moment, oh my God, these people are not to be trusted. Right. And I don't want to live that way. When I see people on the internet, on Instagram saying, I voted for him three times and I'm really sorry and I didn't realize. And I always write, thank you and welcome back. That's what I write to them. You're going to keep doing that. I'm going to keep doing that.

35:56Kara Swisher:What if Michael Cohen came to you and said, oh, I was wrong again? No way. Like an alcoholic. You know, fool me once. Right. Right. You don't get to come back in. No, Michael Cohen caused tremendous damage to me personally. So doing that was for me as well as for him. And then I think he basically spit in my face by doing that. Yeah, no one did, right? Right. New York Times interviewed Jennifer Lawrence late last year. They asked about speaking out now versus the first term. And she gave a very candid answer. She said, as we've learned, celebrities do not make a difference whatsoever on who people vote for.

36:25Kara Swisher:So then what am I doing? I'm just sharing my opinion on something that's going to add fuel to the fire that's ripping this country apart. When you think about speaking up, how important is it to keep speaking up? Very. Very. Yeah, because a lot of people are grappling with that. No. I think fairly grappling with that. Right, and I feel as though anyone with a public platform needs to speak out if they believe in the United States of America. And right now, we're on the precipice of disaster, and he's trying to overthrow the election, and he's going to cause some kind of catastrophe and then say they're off.

36:59And, you know, it's very clear. And we all have to be ready for this because if that happens, we're doomed. We're doomed.

37:09Kara Swisher:Unless we stop it, correct. Right. Unless we stop it, stop him, or he's no longer running. So you're still nervous about that possibility? Because they say they're going to do it. I always say when they say it, believe them, essentially. They say they're going to do what? Stop the election. They talk about it. Of course. And it's their actions and what they're doing. And it's, you know, to me, it's quite obvious. That's another thing. Like, things to me that seem so obvious that I don't understand why they're not obvious to other people. It's taken me a long time to go, the way that you view the world is not the way everyone else views the world.

37:43Right. It's taken me 64 years to do that. We'll be back in a minute.

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40:04Kara Swisher:So every episode we get a question from an outside expert. Here's yours. Okay. Hi, you two. It's Megan Rapinoe here, retired athlete and fellow podcast host. Rosie, I am curious what you think, especially leading into the midterms, what the Democrats can learn from a lesbian, first of all, but most importantly, how to handle Trump with repeated attacks and sort of a playbook, and also how you plan to deal with him in your guest host role on Jimmy Kimmel Live. So let me know. I love Megan Rapinoe. She's fantastic. I got her just for you. Thank you so much. That's really beautiful. Yeah. I think that I plan on doing what Jimmy Kimmel has done so beautifully, which is giving it to him in a comedic, honest, truthful way.

40:51And I will do that as big as I can. Now, the song that I sang in my show, If He Only Had a Brain, I wanted to do that on Kimmel, but they just told me I can't. Oh. That they couldn't get permission for the parody because it's political content. And I was like, well, that is absurd to me because we used to do parodies every day on my show.

41:12Kara Swisher:Wait, I don't understand. Well, I've been told I'm not allowed to do that. Now, I don't know. It's not Jimmy. Would you like to sing a bit of it here? Yes. His approval rate is 30. His diaper's always dirty. I think the guy's insane. He ain't no stable genius. Got a teeny tiny penis and he doesn't have a brain. But it's a long song and I got tremendous response at the show. You did. You did. But I plan on doing whatever we can and working with the writers and his team and honoring just how brave and bold he has been. Yeah, he has been. And I admire him greatly. I've never been on his show. So this will be the first time as the guest host.

41:54And I'm thrilled that he— Do you have a full week? I have a full week, yes. And I'm thrilled that he asked me. And I hope I can follow just his lead.

42:01Kara Swisher:Can you give us a preview of your guest, for example? No, no. I wanted to have Miss Rachel, but she, I think, is, you know, Mr. Rogers now for our contemporary time. And she's brilliant and brave and bold. And I admire her greatly. and we are going to give away her doll, but she couldn't make it or they couldn't book it. I don't know exactly why, but they've asked me not to tell who the guests are. Right, that's okay, that's okay. You know, but they're not political like that. It's not like I'm getting, you know, Jane Fonda and De Niro and all of the people like Mark Ruffalo, and we can all just talk about the loathing of this man, you know, and what he's done to the country.

42:40I would like that. That would be a good show. Maybe like The View, we can have the...

42:43Kara Swisher:The View, you could do that. Are you going to go back on The View while you're here? They're off now for the summer. Oh, right, they are. But, you know, when their 30th season happens next year. They're bringing everyone in. Yeah, I would do that. And, you know, I saw Whoopi. You know, we had like a kind of difficult time when we were both on the show together. But, you know, we're both grown-ass women. And I have tremendous respect and admire all that she's done. This EGOT, again, an unlikely woman only in America. Yeah, what a great story she has. Oh, my God. You know, really beautiful. And I think she's doing a great job on that show.

43:20And, you know, for me, talking politics is not the best use of my talent. But I feel the need to do it because—

43:27Kara Swisher:Or comedy. You can do political comedy. You can do it through comedy. Do you want to have another show? I would go back to daytime if they asked me because I really feel that those are my people, the mothers at home with their kids. And, you know, I would do that. and because Kelly Clarkson left and there seems to be a vacancy in some capacity. Can I ask you a question? You just use an interesting term, if they asked me. You know, you don't have to be asked. You don't have to be waited to be asked anymore in the new digital universe. Well, that's so true. But, you know, to do one the way and the style that I would like to do it, I would like to do it on a streaming service or, you know, a network that we could have a live audience and still give away free things to the, you know, I would like to do it similar to what I've done.

44:11And I believe America really is craving nostalgia right now. They're craving an easier time. And back then when I was on the show, you know, the internet wasn't really around. You've not thought of a podcast or a YouTube show? I tried a podcast, Tara, and it was very difficult for me because I didn't have somebody to talk to all the time besides someone I was interviewing. Right. So in the morning when they'd want me to tell a funny story, it would just be me, and I thought, this is enough fun for me. Oh, you like an audience? I like an audience and I like people, a staff around me. I like to get to know their stories.

44:45I, you know, I like being in that environment.

44:48Kara Swisher:Yeah, yeah. So what is the advice? What would the advice for Democrats? The advice for Democrats is stand up to him at every turn, not meekly, strongly. Come at him with the force he comes at you. And stay intellectually superior because that's not too difficult with him. Right? And just, you know, do some words with multiple syllables and he'll be lost. you know. When do you stop, though? Because Rahm Emanuel said to me, well, you come at him really hard until the midterms, and then he's an old man who needs to go home. Like, that's, he said, forget him after you win, after the midterms, if it's a huge success.

45:24We can't forget him because he's constantly doing evil, horrific, inhumane things to everyone, enriching himself in broad daylight. And I don't understand why Jimmy Carter had to sell his peanut farm. But these idiots are making billions of dollars and announcing it and no one is doing anything. Right, right, right. Well,

45:47Kara Swisher:what's interesting is we realize there's nothing to be done. Well, that's the scariest part. And when he's out, there needs to be a whole new series of laws about never having this happen again. Right, absolutely. Let me ask you, are you worried that Trump, speaking of doing things, He'll obviously be watching you because he's riveted to you in some fashion. Will you think he will be worried about any FCC? They went after ABC. They went after The View. They're continuing to go after The View. But are you worried about the FCC under Brendan Carr? Coming after you on the show, for example? No. Doing anything?

46:20What are they going to say that you can't say that? I mean, I want to do a song.

46:23Kara Swisher:Yes, actually, Brendan Carr, who is a moron, is saying those things. Well, I don't listen to them. I don't pay any heed to them. I want to sing a song the first night. Hello, Donnie, know you're watching. Donnie, it's me, Rosie, showing up on ABC. I want to do a little love song. You got a crush. Donnie, it's too much. I hear you're leaving Melania for me. That's what I want to do. I think you should sexualize the whole thing. That's what I'm saying. Make that he's totally wanting of me. You know, you want to grab me, Donnie. I want to stab thee, Donnie. I don't know. I have to make it up as I go.

47:06I like it.

47:07Kara Swisher:Well done. There you go. Anyway, I want to end up talking about aging, actually, and freedom that comes with it. Now that you're back in the spotlight, people are going to notice. You look different. You've been very open about GLP-1s, which I think are the—I just did a show for CNN called Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever. We had a whole show on GLP-1s because I was like, this is the groundbreaking technology. I agree. Like the most – everyone's focused on AI. I'm like GLP-1s will change everything for all kinds of people. And you – to lose weight after you're diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, right?

47:40Kara Swisher:And that you got a facelift. Talk about the stigma and why it was important for you to talk about. I really appreciated that you talked about both. Well, I had to, you know. Well, yeah. What happened? No, I just – Just fasting. No, that's what people say. There's someone who is – I don't like who has gotten really skinny and they're like, just fasting, I'm like, you need to stop. Yeah. It's just the shots and don't lie to us. And the people who do lie, there are some famous people who said, oh, I'm not on them. And then years later said, oh, by the way, I am. And I always judge them too, to tell you the truth.

48:11Talk about that. Yeah. Because I feel like it's such a lie to perpetrate on people, you know? So I had lost a lot, about 60 pounds. I only go on GLP-1s on the lowest dose for a year. This was what my doctor recommended. Right. So I only go up very slowly. So I lose like about 15 to 25 pounds a year. So in the three years, I've lost 60 pounds. And there was a lot of extra skin on my face. And I had lines here that they call marionette lines. And in Ireland, people would come up and go, what's the matter, Rosie? You're so sad. I'm like, no, it's just my face. And so I started asking friends who had, I have many friends who have had facelifts, but some of them, you know, I didn't want to go that far.

48:59I just wanted really just this part. And so my friend Jenny Hutt told me about this doctor and she had hers and she looked fantastic. And I went and met with him and he was the first doctor that agreed to only do what I wanted. And before I went under, I said to him, Mark, listen to me, I am never going to say, I wish you did more. And he said, you're the first person that said that to me. Right, because you can get convinced of it.

49:20Kara Swisher:Yes. Many people do that. Exactly. If you could fix this, why not fix this? Why not fix that? You had talked about your daughter talking about the feminist part of it. My daughter was very upset. In fact, to this day, she doesn't really know that I did it, because I went in January, I did it. Ten days later, I went home, the bruising was gone, and they didn't notice, because, you know, it was subtle. It was... Yeah, it can be that way. My mom had one and pretended she didn't, and she had bruises in everyone. And she goes, what are you talking about? And I was like, oh, my God. Yeah. How do you deny what's right in front of your eyes?

49:50Kara Swisher:And I was like, why deny it? If you have it, you have it. Yeah. What's the difference? Admit it. And I wanted to tell people. And I also told them the truth. It's very expensive. And I tell them my doctor, Mark Zimbler, if people want to know it, he's in New York. That's the guy who was able to do exactly what I said. And if you want a big, full facelift, go to the Kardashian guy, you know, pay$400 ,000 if that's what you want to do. But you did know the feminist aspects of it. Well, my daughter, my child, Clay, said to me, I can't believe that you went over to London to talk to doctors about surgery, face surgery, plastic surgery.

50:24This is a rejection of everything that you say that you represent. I can't believe there are young girls who look up to you. What are they going to think when you do this? This is not the best performance for a lesbian or for a feminist. And then the biggest one was, I don't know if I'll ever be able to look at you the same way if you do it. And that one really stopped me for a few months. That was like last summer, and I was like, Jesus, I better not do this. But then come January when, you know, I was looking in the mirror going, Lord Almighty, I look so old and so, like, not fresh, you know, I said I have to do it.

51:02So, you know, being a feminist means you get to make your own decisions on what makes you happy and what you want to do. And that's really what I believe feminism is about.

51:11Kara Swisher:Sort of like me and tattoos. I'm like, I'm doing it for me. It's not true. Yeah, I love my tattoos too. And people say, why do you do that? I like it. I like the way it looks. I like the individuality that you get to adorn your body with, you know, ink of some artist that you love. Yeah, so it makes you feel better. It made me feel better, and it made me feel not so sad. The thing that GLP wants is that it's revolutionary. No, I think it's going to help addiction in many, many areas because, you know, the food addiction is real. And the noise that your brain hears when you are an obese person and you like.

51:48Same with drinking. Well, right. Every October after Halloween until Christmas, my kids would hide their candy from me. And at night, I would go search for it because I would know there was a Butterfinger somewhere in the house and I couldn't sleep. There can't be a butter. Right. And so, you know, it was very, very difficult for me to not overeat sugar. And this drug has changed my life. And whenever I see someone struggling with obesity, I wish I could convince the company that makes Manjaro to let me do commercials, even though they don't need it because everyone wants it, if they would drop the price for people.

52:27Which they will.

52:27Kara Swisher:They have to. Prices will be lower and lower. I hope so. Yeah, it's something that they should do, which is, this is to me something like the Trump administration should do. Like, it would be health care costs would go down so considerably around it. It's sort of a diabetic industrial complex along with a food industrial complex. Yes, indeed. The only thing I agree with RFK Jr. on is the stuff in the food is really addictive. Well, and you taste it when you go to Ireland. The food tastes different. The steaks taste different. Everything does. Everything tastes different. See, you learn so much from your time away.

53:00Kara Swisher:Yes. So I want to finish up talking about that. So you moved to Ireland. You want to move back to the United States, correct? When he's done. When he's done. Because I miss my other children greatly, and I miss, you know, New York and my life here. And I think it's very important as I get older for Clay to be around her siblings so that, you know, when I go, they'll have a strong connection, stronger than it is now. Very good point, yeah. And so those are the reasons that I would move back. I would keep my house in Dublin, which I love, in Sandymount, a little village in the midst of a city. It's gorgeous.

53:34Gorgeous.

53:34Kara Swisher:You live in a very nice area. I really do. And it's a beautiful house. It's by far the cheapest house I've ever lived in as an adult. And it's my favorite house. And I feel very at home there. One of the things, when you did an interview with your old co-host of you, Nicole Wallace, who's wonderful, you said you don't really travel. You've performed this now in Australia and in Scotland, and you told Nicole you're stretching in your old age. Is this show going anywhere? Are you taking it? Well, this was sort of a proof of concept, right? I wanted to see how it would work in America because in Ireland there were far more Irish parts of it.

54:10So we took some things out and added more family things for New York, and I wanted to see if it would get the same response that it did over in Sydney and in Ireland. So we only did 12 shows just to see if Daryl Roth, who has the right to do it on Broadway, if she would want to next summer, I would be able to do that. So it's up to her and it's up to, you know, what happens on Broadway and whether or not ticket prices. It's a cheap show, but the ticket prices were still high. I thought they were too high. I asked that they be lowered and they were like, well, this is the way that we have to do it for whatever.

54:47You know, I was like, my God. So if I could do like a little tucked away booth theater, you know, and have the ticket prices not be extraordinary, that would be—

54:56Kara Swisher:Would you take it elsewhere in this country? I would like to, you know. I would like to at some point. But with my child, it's hard to go away. You know, it's—this summer has been a lot for them. And they have a little bit of autistic burnout, you know. They want to get back home. They want to get back home. Too much traveling. Not enough routine. Yeah, I get it. I have adult kids and kids at home. I have a four-year-old and a six-year-old, too. Oh, good for you. Are you so excited about that? They're so great. Oh, there's nothing better than that age. And all the kids have a really—we're about to go to San Francisco next week to be with their older brother, so it calls me every day about them.

55:33Kara Swisher:It's a really wonderful relationship. I'm very happy about the whole situation. That's great. Is parenting different in your 60s? I know how it is for me. Oh, my God, yes. A thousand percent. Meaning better? First of all, an autistic child forces me to have a patience level that I didn't have when my other kids were little. I think that because my mother died so young, I had a 10-year-old's idea of what a perfect mother would be. And in some ways, I made mistakes. I think I tried to flatten the bumps in the road for them a little bit too much, which, you know, made it difficult then when a bump occurs in adult life.

56:08And I also didn't realize that adult children need their mothers and fathers so much. Like when my kids now in their 20s and 30s would call me and tell me what's going on. And, you know, and also the sense of sadness and desperation that they feel about the current state of the world and their lack of ability to ever own a home. And, you know, it's a very different experience. Parenting never ends. Yeah, it never ends. And I didn't realize that.

56:35Kara Swisher:Yeah. I think that's the best part of it, actually. I do too. I think I'm a better parent to even the older kids now. Yeah, I think the same thing for me. I think I try to connect more. Connection is very big with Clay. And because I do that on a daily basis, make a point to connect and to get inside there, I do it now with my bigger kids too. And it's been very rewarding. Yeah, I think Lesbians to raise all the kids, honestly. I do too, frankly. We have strong, confident men who like women and girls who are confident and also like men and women. Exactly. Yeah. So it seems like you have a new kind of energy and confidence now.

57:17Kara Swisher:A lot of people have said that to me. Yes, you can feel it. I don't know that I sense it. You can feel it in your show. I sense it. Yeah, other people have said that they sense that. Yeah, and I don't know you well, but it feels like that. You seem mentally healthier. Yes, yes. In your long career, you've done stand-up comedy, hosting talk shows, acting in movies. Obviously, you've been an advocate in this one-woman show. What do you hope the next act looks like? You know, I hope I get to do something that still provides me with enough time to be around my family in a really meaningful way. But, you know, I would like to come back.

57:48If I could do something in the daytime area, I would do that. So, I don't know. We'll see what happens. But I want to be able to be central and available to my children as a priority more so than I do out of my career.

58:04Kara Swisher:So you'd never run for office? Never. Never? I would be. No, because, you know, my mental health is something I have to stay on top of. And I think that, you know, I wouldn't have the patience to deal with all the bullshit that is required when you are a politician. Would you go out on the road for any politicians? Oh, and I have before. Is there anyone you're loving right now? Well, I'm a fan of Gavin Newsom. I like the way he talked back to Trump. I like the way he stands up for what he believes in and gay marriage, which he did all those years ago and was there when I married Kelly. I think he reminds me of a Kennedy.

58:41He's a handsome man. Yeah, he's a handsome man. Not that you want to sleep with him, just like you. No, I do not, but I like to look at him sometimes and I don't think of anything below the waist. Trust me on this one, people. But I'm a big fan of him and a supporter and always was of Hillary Clinton and went out on the road with her and did a lot of events and interviews. And I do whatever I can.

59:04Kara Swisher:So you want to be part of what's next coming. What do you hope for the country right now? That we can restore ourselves to what the founding fathers originally intended, and that we can stop the corruption and the misogyny and the racism that permeates this land. Yeah. Well, hello, Donald. Yes, hello, Donald. Hello, Donnie. Well, hello, Donnie. It's me, Rosie, and I'm looking at you right here on TV. Okay. Thank you so much. It's great. And thank you for coming to my show. I really appreciate it. Of course. It was wonderful. It was fantastic. Thank you. I appreciate it.

59:46Kara Swisher:Today's show was produced by Michelle Alloy, Catherine Millsop, Madeline LaPlante-Duby, Megan Burney, and Kaelin Lynch. Nishat Kerwa is Vox Media's executive producer of podcasts. Special thanks to Eamon Whalen, Dave Shaw, and Julia Sharp-Levine. Our engineers are Fernando Arruda and Rick Kwan, and our theme music is by Trackademics. If you're already following the show, you're sipping a pint with the locals. If not, the crossing guard in Ireland is going to have a word. Go wherever you listen to podcasts, search for On with Kara Swisher, and hit follow. Thanks for listening to On with Kara Swisher from Podium Media, New York Magazine, the Vox Media Podcast Network, and us.

1:00:21Kara Swisher:We'll be back on Thursday with more.

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