Divided Friends.
Rosie O'Donnell 'gives grace' to Wynonna Judd, maintaining friendship despite Trump support and political feud.
Key Points
Wynonna Judd visited the White House in 2019 to advocate for criminal justice reform and prison reintegration initiatives.
Naomi Judd’s death in 2022 is cited as part of Wynonna Judd’s family trauma, influencing the dynamics of Wynonna’s life and her friendship with O'Donnell.
O'Donnell relocated to Ireland in early 2025 amid the second Trump term, saying she feels safe there and is effectively out of Trump’s reach.
Trump publicly threatened to revoke O'Donnell's U.S. citizenship after her move to Ireland, including a July 2025 post asserting citizenship would not be in the best interests of the country.
The feud between O'Donnell and Trump traces back to 2006 during her tenure as a co-host on The View, with ongoing public criticisms and exchanges over his actions toward Tara Conner and related incidents.
Rosie O'Donnell says country music star Wynonna Judd is the only Trump supporter she still talks to — and she plans to keep it that way. "I give her grace," O'Donnell said, despite calling Trump guilty of "misogyny, racism and homophobia," according to Variety.
The two have been close friends for decades. O'Donnell says they simply avoid politics. She told Yahoo News she can't think of a single other person in her life who supports the president.
A Decades-Long Friendship That Skips Politics
O'Donnell and Judd have been friends for many years. Their bond runs deep enough that political differences haven't broken it. O'Donnell said she loves Judd "very much," according to The Blast. The two women simply don't talk about Trump or politics when they speak.
O'Donnell also pointed to Judd's personal pain as something she keeps in mind. Judd's mother, country legend Naomi Judd, died in April 2022. O'Donnell suggested that kind of family trauma shapes a person. It helps explain, in her view, why she separates the friendship from the politics.
Wynonna's White House Visit and Criminal Justice Push
Wynonna Judd has not kept her Trump ties quiet. In 2019, she visited the White House to advocate for criminal justice reform and prison reintegration programs. That visit put her squarely in Trump's orbit — and made her political leanings clear to anyone watching, including O'Donnell.
O'Donnell didn't let that change things. She said her friendship with Judd is one she chooses to protect. "I give her grace," she repeated. She made clear that Judd is the rare exception — not the rule — in her social circle, according to Yahoo News.
O'Donnell Moves to Ireland as Trump Threatens Her Citizenship
O'Donnell's relationship with Trump is a very different story. Their feud started in 2006 when she was a co-host on The View. She publicly criticized Trump over his handling of the Tara Conner Miss USA scandal. Trump fired back hard. The two have traded public attacks ever since.
In early 2025, O'Donnell moved to Ireland. She said she feels safe there and is effectively out of Trump's reach. Trump responded by threatening to revoke her U.S. citizenship. In a July 2025 social media post, he wrote that keeping her citizenship would not be "in the best interests of the country," according to The Blast.
Why O'Donnell Draws a Hard Line — Except for Judd
O'Donnell has been blunt about her views. She condemns what she calls Trump's "criminal behavior," cruelty, and bigotry. She says she can't maintain friendships with people who support him. The list of exceptions in her life is exactly one name long: Wynonna Judd.
For O'Donnell, the Judd friendship is proof that personal bonds can outlast political divides — but just barely, and only under very specific conditions. No political talk. Lots of grace. And a history long enough to survive almost anything, according to Yahoo News.
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