Rosie O’Donnell Takes Aim at Trump During Jimmy Kimmel Live! Guest-Hosting Debut

Rosie O’Donnell returned to late-night television Monday and wasted little time reminding viewers that her long-running feud with President Donald Trump is still alive.

O’Donnell is guest hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live! all week. During her opening monologue, she mentioned Trump several times, at one point calling him a “mango Mussolini.” She also looked straight into the camera and said, “Hi! I know you’re watching.”

The comment came after O’Donnell told a story about her child, Clay, explaining why the family moved to Ireland. According to O’Donnell, Clay said they moved because “the president of the United States hates my mother,” adding, “but, in all fairness, I believe my mother hates him more.”

O’Donnell moved to Ireland before Trump’s second inauguration, saying at the time that she no longer felt safe in the United States. During Monday’s monologue, she praised the Irish people as the “kindest” she had ever met and said she would “be home soon.”

She also joked that Trump might be disappointed by how little attention she gave him. “He’s in the White House crying, because I haven’t mentioned him,” she said.

Much of the monologue, however, focused on O’Donnell’s own return to television. She reflected on The Rosie O’Donnell Show, which ran from 1996 to 2002, and recalled her old reputation as the “Queen of Nice.”

She joked about how much has changed since the 1990s. Back then, she said, there was a war in the Middle East, climate change was damaging the planet and the president was facing scandals. “But today, everything is so chill,” she deadpanned.

O’Donnell also embraced some of the familiar elements of Kimmel’s show, calling sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez a “cutie patootie” and joining in a Koosh ball reference.

Her week-long appearance is likely to keep the Trump feud in the spotlight. O’Donnell has clashed with Trump publicly for decades, while Trump has also repeatedly criticized Kimmel. Their disputes have intensified in recent years, with Trump even threatening to revoke O’Donnell’s U.S. citizenship.

For now, though, O’Donnell says her return to late night is temporary. She previously rejected speculation that she planned to pursue a permanent late-night career.

“I leave for Ireland the day I’m done guest hosting for Jimmy — where my child starts the 8th grade,” she wrote in July. “I’m not interested in doing late night — daytime however would be interesting.”

With several more nights behind Kimmel’s desk, O’Donnell has made it clear that viewers can expect more jokes, more personal stories and, most likely, a few more shots at the president.