The Downs And Ups Of Rosie ODonnell

The Gun Debate. Her amiable image was shattered in 1999, when ODonnell had an eight-minute exchange about gun control with actor Tom Selleck about his membership in the National Rifle Association. Because Selleck didnt know ODonnell was going to mention the NRA, and because ODonnell feels strongly about the issue, the discussion soon became heated. Actually, it wasnt a discussion; it came close to a shouting match.

Coming Out. In 2002, two months before she ended her talk show, ODonnell officially came out as a lesbiana courageous move for such a popular entertainer and one that would encourage younger gay people to feel more comfortable with their own sexuality.

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Coming Out. In 2002, two months before she ended her talk show, ODonnell officially came out as a lesbiana courageous move for such a popular entertainer and one that would encourage younger gay people to feel more comfortable with their own sexuality.

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The Magazine Debacle. In the last year of her talk show, Rosie began her namesake magazine with the publishing company Gruner + Jahr. The publication tried to be different from other magazines, de-emphasizing rail-thin fashion models and avoiding too many self-improvement articles. But ODonnell wanted to have ultimate control of the magazine, and her partnership with G+J ended after 16 issues. Lawsuits followed; neither side won.

Family Time. After leaving the magazine, ODonnell retreated from the celebrity atmosphere that had surrounded her, focusing on her foundation, For All Kids, and on raising the four children she has with her partner, Kelli Carpenter.

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Different Views. In 2006, ODonnell came back into the public eye with a spot on ABCs The View. Sharing the round table with the View team, Rosie showed her opinionated side with heated arguments about terrorism with colleague Elisabeth Hasselback. She also tussled with Barbara Walters because Walters was reported to have told Donald Trump that Rosie was difficult. ODonnell left the show in 2007. That same year, although ODonnell didnt reveal it until 2009, Carpenter broke up with her.

Moving On. Despite the difficulties in her personal life and her career, ODonnell roared back in 2009 with a talk show on Sirius XM radio. Shell be ending that gig later this year to host a talk show on Oprah Winfreys new network. Winfrey wisely paid a visit to ODonnell to do what Winfrey called a crazy check i.e. to see if ODonnell was emotionally unstable. So will ODonnell succeed on Winfreys network? Of course, no one knows, but given ODonnells record, it wont take too long to find out.