Rosie O’Donnell, an outspoken Democrat who has had a long-standing rivalry with former President Donald Trump, is suddenly grabbing headlines for her involvement in the former president’s hush money trial in Manhattan.
O’Connell has been offering emotional support to disgraced former attorney Michael Cohen during his testimony as the prosecution’s star witness in the prosecution of Trump.
Cohen, a former loyalist turned Trump rival in recent years, has reportedly received numerous encouraging texts from O’Donnell while on the witness stand.
The actress and comedian has been critical of Trump long before he entered politics, and their feud has been marked by personal insults between the two. In 2006, when O’Donnell was a co-host on The View, Trump even threatened to sue her after she attacked him on air.
According to Jacob Bernstein of The New York Times, O’Donnell and Cohen’s relationship began in 2019 when she reached out to him during his prison sentence for tax fraud and campaign finance violations.
O’Donnell drove to West Virginia to visit Cohen, and what was intended to be a one-hour visit turned into a six-hour meeting where the two held hands at one point.
“When someone is in a relationship that unhealthy and breaks free, it’s a very lonely time,” O’Donnell said, referring to Cohen’s turn from Trump loyalist into an outspoken rival.
O’Donnell was the first guest on Cohen’s Mea Culpa podcast, and the two had dinner together in December.
As Cohen faced the start of his testimony on Monday, O’Donnell sent him a supportive text message: “breathe – relax – tell the truth – u got this – i love u.”
Cohen replied, “Thank you and truly love you,” after O’Donnell told him he was doing “great.”
She later praised his testimony against Trump, telling Cohen he hit a “home run.”
During his testimony, Cohen claimed that he was part of the “brain trust” behind Trump’s Twitter account, where the former president would famously troll his political enemies and critical celebrities, including O’Donnell. Cohen said he was responsible for some of the personal jabs Trump directed at the comedian.
O’Donnell revealed that she has been in “regular” contact with Cohen throughout the trial.
“I know this has been a tumultuous time, so I check in,” the far-Left celebrity said about her involvement. “It’s a big thing to be in a position to be able to change the whole country in some way.”
Of course, not everyone was convinced —
LMAO! Pathetic. https://t.co/JNTwzs9Q2e
— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) May 15, 2024