Rosie Radio: Roseann O'Donnell

Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell was born March 21, 1962. She grew up in Commack, Long Island, New York. Rosie is a stand-up comedian, an actress, an artist, an author, a former TV talk show host and now a Sirius/XM radio talk show host! Rosie is also a LGBT rights activist, a philanthropist, a television producer, a partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family Vacations, and a mother of 4. Rosie's four children are Parker (born 1995), Chelsea (born 1997), and Blake (born 1999) and Vivi (born in 2002). In 2000 the family took in a foster child Mia (born in 1997), and announced intentions to adopt her. In 2001 the state of Florida removed Mia from their home, and Rosie has since worked extensively to bring an end to the Florida law prohibiting same-sex family adoption

Rosie is the daughter of Roseann Teresa, a homemaker, and Edward Joseph O'Donnell. Rosie's father immigrated from Ireland during his childhood, and her mother was Irish American. When Rosie was 10 years old, four days before her 11th birthday, Rosie's mom died of breast cancer.

While she attended Commack High School, Rosie was voted homecoming queen, prom queen, senior class president and class clown! It was during high school that she began exploring her interest in comedy, beginning with a skit performed in front of the school in which she imitated Gilda Radner's character Roseanne Rosannadanna. After graduating in 1980, Rosie briefly attended Dickinson College, later transferring to Boston University, before ultimately dropping out of college. She continued on with her comedy career and received her big break on the talent show Star Search when she was only 20 years old.

From 1996-2002 Rosie hosted The Rosie O'Donnell Show which won multiple Emmy awards. The show was also known for featuring extended production numbers from Broadway shows which were often seen as too time consuming on other shows. The Rosie O'Donnell Show did for Broadway what Oprah Winfrey did for books.

The final live episode of The Rosie O'Donnell Show aired on May 22, 2002. The final segment of the show featured a video made by Rosie that blended her personal life with her talk show life, to the song "Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell. The conclusion of the show featured Tom Cruise, who cut Rosie's grass and said, "Rosie, I cut your grass, and here is your lemonade." (A reference to one of the show's running gags, that O'Donnell adored Tom Cruise).

The last episode of The Rosie O'Donnell Show Broadway Montage

A compilation of highlights of the show's first season was available for sale in September 2008, exclusively from the Home Shopping Network. The DVD runs 90 minutes and contains Rosie O'Donnell commenting while watching clips of archived footage.

Rosie has written many books including Find Me, Crafty U and Celebrity Detox. Rosie's memoir, Find Me, was released in April 2002 and reached number two on the New York Times bestseller list!

Rosie used the book's $3 million advance to establish her For All Kids Foundation to help institute national standards for day care across the country. Since 1997, Rosie's For All Kids Foundation, overseen by Elizabeth Birch, has awarded more than $22 million in Early Childhood Care and Education program grants to over 900 nonprofit organizations. In 2006, Rosie was honored by the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Also in 2006, Nightline aired a video report about the opening of The Children's Plaza and Family Center in Renaissance Village, a FEMA trailer park in Louisiana. This was an emergency response initiative of Rosie's For All Kids Foundation with the help of many local nonprofit organizations and for-profit businesses, all efforts were to assist the families displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Celebrity Detox is Rosie's story of the years after she walked away from her top-rated TV show in 2002, and her reasons for going back on the air in 2006. In it, she takes you inside the world of talk show TV, speaking candidly about the conflicts and challenges she faced as cohost on ABC's The View. Along the way Rosie shows how fame becomes addiction and explores whether or not it's possible for an addict to safely, and sanely, return to the spotlight. Chronicling the ups and downs of "the fame game," Rosie illuminates not only what it's like to be a celebrity, but also what it's like to be a mother, a daughter, a leader, a friend, a sister, a wife...in short, a human being.

Rosie on Film!

Rosie has been in several movies including A League Of Their Own (playing the role of Doris Murphy, 3rd base) Sleepless in Seattle (playing the role of Becky), The Flintstones (playing the role of Betty Rubble), Beautiful Girls (playing the role of Gina Barrisano), Exit to Eden (playing the role of Sheila Kingston), Disney's Tarzan (playing the role of Terk), and Wide Awake (playing the role of Sister Terry).

In 2006, All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise, the documentary film about the Rfamily Gay and Lesbian cruise debuted HBO. All Aboard was nominated for 3 Emmy Awards! In 2003, Rosie and Kelli partnered with Gregg Kaminsky to launch R Family Vacations catering to gay and lesbian families.

On July 11, 2004, the first cruise was held with 1600 passengers including 600 children. In addition to traditional entertainment and recreational activities, the company partnered with Provincetown's Family Pride, a 25-year-old Washington, D.C.-based organization that advocates for GLBT families to host discussions on "adoption, insemination, surrogacy, and everything else that would be helpful to gay parenting.

In 2003, Rosie and Kelli collaborated with Artistic Director Lori Klinger to create "Rosie's Broadway Kids", dedicated to providing free instruction in music and dance to New York City public schools or students. Rosie's Broadway Kids serves more than 4,500 teachers, students, and their family members at 21 schools. Currently programs are in Harlem, Midtown West, Chelsea, Lower East Side, East Village, and Chinatown. All net profits from O'Donnell's 2007 book Celebrity Detox were donated to Rosie's Broadway Kids.

In 2008, The View won an Emmy for "Outstanding Special Class Writing" for a specially-themed Autism episode broadcast when O'Donnell was co-host. Janette Barber, O'Donnell's longtime friend and producer/writer of the Rosie O'Donnell Show, accepted the award on behalf of herself and the other two winners, Christian McKiernan and Andrew Smith.

Janette Barber accepts the Emmy!

Today you can even own your very own piece of art designed by Rosie herself! Rosie creates, paints, and sculpts her own unique creations and sells the art pieces at Rosie's Shop on Etsy to support her charity Rosie's Broadway Kids and the Maravel Arts Center.

Rosie has raised more than $122,000 for Rosie's Broadway Kids through Etsy!

Today you can hear Rosie hosting her own talk show Rosie Radio from 10-12 EST, Monday through Friday, on Sirius/XM! Rosie discusses everything from current events, to favorite books and authors, celebrity, Broadway, politics and parenting! You never know when her squirrel named Shady will make an appearance, the crew will break out in to spontaneous laughter or Rosie will chat with her fans on the phone! The show is sometimes humorous, sometimes heart-warming, and sometimes heart-breaking but always interesting.