'Those Kids Saved Me': How Rosie O'Donnell's Adoption Journey Helped Heal Her Inner Child

Rosie O'Donnell is a proud mother to five children, and over the years, she has dedicated so much of her life to raising the family she's always wanted. The comedian and former talk show host — who has previously spoken about her own traumatic childhood — turned to adoption when starting her family in the '90s. She adopted four of her kids: Parker, Chelsea, Blake, and Clay, and welcomed one daughter, Vivienne, via artificial insemination with her first wife, Kelli Carpenter. Their family has since grown even more, with the addition of five grandchildren, turning O'Donnell into one of those older celebs who absolutely love being a grandparent.

Like any family, they've had their share of trials and tribulations, including Chelsea's struggle with addiction and several run-ins with the law. Though O'Donnell's relationship with Chelsea has been estranged at times, she visited her daughter in prison in June 2026 in the midst of her 18-month sentence, taking to Instagram after the emotional experience to reflect on the "unconditional love" she will always have for Chelsea. But as much as O'Donnell has provided for her family in countless ways, she believes her kids are the ones responsible for turning her life around, in the best way possible. "People sometimes say, 'That's so great that you adopted. You saved those kids.' And I say, 'Those kids saved me,'" O'Donnell told People in a July 2026 interview. "Each kid was like a floatie, and I was staying afloat because of my desire to give them a loving family that said 'I love you,' which was never said in my house." She added, "Every time I hang up the phone, I say, 'I love you,' and my kids say, 'Yeah, Mom, you've told us.'"

Born in 1962, Rosie O'Donnell grew up without any prominent LGBTQ+ role models in her life, at a time when there was little queer representation in pop culture. Even though O'Donnell isn't among the celebs who came out later in life, she didn't fully understand that she was gay until her 20s, which is why making her children feel accepted has always been a priority. "It wasn't until I went to college and then realized, 'Oh you're definitely gay,'" O'Donnell recalled during an appearance on "The Assembly Ireland" in February 2026. "I just had to keep saying it to myself so I would believe it and know it." So by the time O'Donnell's youngest child, Clay, came out to her as nonbinary at the age of 12, she was instantly supportive and blown away by her child's strength.

"It was the most interesting thing," O'Donnell recalled in a conversation with Variety in 2025. "They said to me, 'Mommy, I'm nonbinary. I'm not a boy and I'm not a girl.' I said, "OK, fantastic.' They go, "My pronouns are they/them, and I'd like them respected,'" which is why it's so important to learn how to respectfully ask someone what their pronouns are. O'Donnell said that Clay has been amazed to learn how different things were when their mom was growing up. "They have no understanding of what it was like when I was 10 in 1972 and nobody mentioned it. The word was not said — you would never admit it," O'Donnell said. Calling her experience as a kid "painful," she added of Clay, "I've been trying to explain to them what it was like when I was a kid, and they are stunned."