Rosie O'Donnell

Biography: After a winning streak on Star Search, this tomboyish stand-up brought her brazen attitude and Long Island accent to a bunch of TV series and films, usually portraying a big-hearted, acid-tongued second banana. Highlights of her early work included a one-year stint on Gimme a Break!, A League of Their Own, Sleepless in Seattle, The Flintstones and her Broadway debut in a revival of Grease. In the mid 1990s, she made a decision that would change her career: tired of working long hours on movies and anxious to spend more time with her son, O'Donnell launched her own eponymous daytime talk show in 1996. An instant hit, the series cast the formerly brash comedian in a new role, that of Rosie "The Queen of Nice" — a show-tune-singing, Tom Cruise-loving, down-to-earth everywoman, who effortlessly connected with folk across America. During her tenure, she won a bunch of Daytime Emmys, hosted a number of award shows (the Tonys, the Grammys) and launched a magazine. But 2002 markedAfter a winning streak on Star Search, this tomboyish stand-up brought her brazen attitude and Long Island accent to a bunch of TV series and films, usually portraying a big-hearted, acid-tongued second banana. Highlights of her early work included a one-year stint on Gimme a Break!, A League of Their Own, Sleepless in Seattle, The Flintstones and her Broadway debut in a revival of Grease. In the mid 1990s, she made a decision that would change her career: tired of working long hours on movies and anxious to spend more time with her son, O'Donnell launched her own eponymous daytime talk show in 1996. An instant hit, the series cast the formerly brash comedian in a new role, that of Rosie "The Queen of Nice" — a show-tune-singing, Tom Cruise-loving, down-to-earth everywoman, who effortlessly connected with folk across America. During her tenure, she won a bunch of Daytime Emmys, hosted a number of award shows (the Tonys, the Grammys) and launched a magazine. But 2002 marked another change in trajectory for the star who, after years of speculation about her sexual orientation, officially came out as a lesbian. Soon after, she resigned from both her magazine and TV show to spend more time with her partner, Kelli Carpenter, and their ever-growing family. In 2004, in the midst of the ongoing debate over legalizing gay marriage, she and Carpenter wed in San Francisco. The couple also founded a gay-family-friendly travel company, which was chronicled in the documentary All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise. In 2006, O'Donnell returned to daytime TV after a four-year hiatus as the most-outspoken member of the chatfest The View. Although she only stayed with the show for a year, she helped boost ratings with her blunt banter, public feud with Donald Trump and frequent clashes with her conservative cohost Elisabeth Hasselbeck. In May 2007, a particularly heated political debate with Hasselbeck prompted O'Donnell to exit the talk show almost a month earlier than previously announced. That same year she wrote Celebrity Detox: (The Fame Game), a memoir that explored her need to step out of the spotlight for a bit. She later stopped blogging, explaining that "it wasn't providing joy," though she did update her Web site to spotlight items of interest to her. By late 2008, she took another stab at TV when she tried to launch a variety show called Rosie Live, but it proved unsuccessful. In 2009, she announced a setback in her personal life when she shared the news that she and Carpenter were splitting up. She also turned her attention back to hosting a talk show that same year, only this time in a new forum: Rosie Radio debuted on Sirius XM in November 2009, proving a good chatterbox can remain quiet for only so long. Expand

Rosie O'Donnell's Scores

Average career score: 73
Highest Metascore: 99 The Larry Sanders Show: Season 4
Lowest Metascore: 49 American Gigolo: Season 1
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 25
  2. Negative: 0 out of 25
25 tv reviews
Title: Year: Credit: User score:
63 Smash: Season 2 Feb 5, 2013 Actor 6.3
tbd Bomb Girls: Season 2 Jan 2, 2013 Dottie Shannon tbd
tbd Impractical Jokers: Season 2 Sep 13, 2012 Appearing 7.5
tbd Dr. Oz: Season 4 Sep 10, 2012 Guest tbd
83 Web Therapy: Season 2 Jul 2, 2012 Maxine DeMaine / Maxine DeMaine 7.2
tbd Happily Divorced: Season 2 Mar 7, 2012 Katie 6.4
tbd Piers Morgan Tonight: Season 2 Jan 2, 2012 Host / Guest / Rosie O'Donnell tbd
tbd Independent Lens: Season 13 Oct 13, 2011 Remarks By tbd
67 The Rosie Show : Season 1 Oct 10, 2011 Host / Host 6.4
tbd Dr. Oz: Season 3 Sep 12, 2011 Guest tbd
86 Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 8 Jul 10, 2011 Rosie O'Donnell 8.5
tbd Who Do You Think You Are?: Season 2 Feb 4, 2011 Self / Appearing tbd
tbd Drop Dead Diva: Season 2 Jun 6, 2010 Actor 6.7
tbd The Big Gay Sketch Show: Season 3 Apr 13, 2010 Herself / Executive Producer / Rosie O'Donnell / Appearing tbd
81 Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 7 Sep 20, 2009 Herself 8.6
tbd Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Season 2 Sep 15, 2009 Guest 6.4
69 Drop Dead Diva: Season 1 Jul 12, 2009 Actor 8.5
tbd Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List: Season 5 Jun 8, 2009 Appearing tbd
tbd Independent Lens: Season 10 Oct 22, 2008 Appearing tbd
60 Little Britain USA: Season 1 Sep 28, 2008 Herself 6.5
tbd Martha: Season 4 Sep 16, 2008 Guest tbd
tbd The Bonnie Hunt Show: Season 1 Sep 8, 2008 Guest tbd
tbd Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List: Season 4 Jun 12, 2008 Appearing tbd
tbd Million Dollar Password: Season 1 Jun 1, 2008 Appearing tbd
tbd Paula's Party: Season 4 May 30, 2008 Guest tbd
tbd The Big Gay Sketch Show: Season 2 Feb 5, 2008 Herself / Creator / Executive Producer / Appearing tbd
79 Nip/Tuck: Season 5 Oct 30, 2007 Dawn Budge 7.9
tbd Celebrity Expose: Season 1 Oct 1, 2007 Rosie O'Donnell tbd
tbd Martha: Season 3 Sep 10, 2007 Guest tbd
tbd Martha: Season 3 Sep 10, 2007 Guest tbd