Rosie O'Donnell's wife history and the journey through her romantic history
American comedian, activist, and talk show host Rosie O’Donnell has been married twice and is currently single. Her marriage to her first wife, Kelli Carpenter, lasted three years before their separation in 2007. Her second wife, Michelle Rounds, died in 2017. Through both marriages, she became a mother to five children.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Rosie O'Donnell came out publicly as a lesbian in 2002 and has since been an advocate for gay rights to marriage and adoption.
- Rosie O'Donnell got married to Kelli Carpenter on 26 February 2004.
- Rosie and Carpenter split in 2007 but revealed their separation in 2009.
- O'Donnell got married to Michelle Rounds in June 2012 and filed for divorce in February 2015.
- Rosie O'Donnell has also dated Aimee Hauer, Elizabeth Rooney, and Tracy Kachtick-Anders.
Profile summary
Full name | Roseann O'Donnell |
Common name | Rosie O'Donnell |
Nickname | Queen of Nice, Ro |
Gender | Female |
Date of birth | 21 March 1962 |
Age | 63 years as of 2026 |
Zodiac sign | Aries |
Place of birth | Commack, New York, United States |
Residence | Ireland |
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | White |
Height in centimetres | 170 |
Height in feet | 5'5" |
Hair colour | Grey |
Eye colour | Hazel |
Mother | Roseann Teresa Murtha |
Father | Edward Joseph O'Donnell |
Siblings | 4 |
Relationship status | Single |
Children | 5 |
High school education | Commack High School |
Higher education | Dickinson College, Boston University |
Profession | Talk show host, comedian, actress. |
Net worth | $80 million–$100 million |
Social media |
A look at Rosie O'Donnell's wife history
Rosie O'Donnell's romantic life has played out publicly since she came out in 2002. Here is a detailed look at her relationship history, from her decade-long marriage to travel enthusiast and former Nickelodeon executive Kelli Carpenter to her last marriage.
Kelli Carpenter (2004–2007)
Source: Twitter
- Full name: Kelli Carpenter
- Date of birth: 24 May 1967
- Place of birth: United States
- Profession: Podcast host
Rosie and Kelli Carpenter met in December 1997 on a blind date set up by Rosie's brother, Daniel J. O'Donnell. In an interview with GoMag, Kelli revealed details of their first date.
Her brother set us up on a blind date, which was a little bit more blind for her than for me! We went to Joe Allen. Right away, I liked her brain. There are multiple sides to her; it’s not all what you see on television... She’s a very interesting person, and I always think if I could have dinner with anybody in the world today, it would still be her.
At the time of their first meeting, Rosie had adopted her first child, Parker Jaren O'Donnell. Carpenter later became his legal parent, too.
The couple later adopted their second baby, Chelsea O'Donnell, who was born on 20 September 1997. Their third adopted child, Blake Christopher O'Donnell, was born on 5 December 1999. Two years before their marriage, the couple welcomed their fourth child, Vivienne Rose O'Donnell, via artificial insemination.
Source: Getty Images
The couple got married on 26 February 2004 in a show of defiance against President Bush's push for a constitutional ban on gay marriage. The wedding ceremony took place in the International Room of San Francisco's City Hall. The pair, who advocated for equal protection for the right to marry, later stood on the grand staircase at City Hall in front of reporters and onlookers.
Rosie O'Donnell and Kelli Carpenter separated in 2007. News of their separation came two years later. During a guest appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Rosie revealed the reason behind their separation,
I think that what you want and need at 30, which is when I met Kelli—I was 35—is very different from what you want and need at 40 and 45. I think, in some ways, we both came back to our authentic selves. And who we were authentically wasn't as great of a match as who we were when we met.
She added,
The joy we did find was with our children, but not necessarily with each other or within our own lives separately as adult women.
Michelle Rounds (2012–2016)
Source: Twitter
- Full name: Michelle Rounds-Monteleone
- Date of birth: 10 May 1971
- Place of birth: Corning, New York, United States
- Date of death: 11 Sept 2017
- Place of death: Windermere, Florida, United States
Rosie O'Donnell and Michelle Rounds met at Starbucks. They began dating in 2011 and got engaged later in the year. In an interview with ABC's Nightline, the comedian spoke about their first meeting.
I walked into a Starbucks in the summer, and she was holding a little puppy, and I was about to get another little puppy. We started to talk, and I told her, 'You know, when you have a little puppy like that, you're going to have a baby soon.' And she's like, 'Actually, I was trying.'
The comedian, who also appeared on the Impractical Jokers, added,
I was like, 'Oh, your husband,' (she said), 'Oh, I don't have a husband.' I was like, 'You don't have a husband?' She said, 'No, I'm a lesbian.' I was like, 'You are not!' She's like, 'No, I am.'
O'Donnell announced their engagement on her talk show, The Rosie Show, on 5 December 2011. The couple exchanged vows in a small private ceremony at their home in Nyack, New York, on 9 June 2012.
Source: Getty Images
Initially, they planned to tie the knot in August 2012, but later chose to get married quietly before Rounds’s first surgery, after being diagnosed with a rare disease, desmoid tumours. Rounds and Rosie adopted one child, Dakota 'Clay' O'Donnell, who was born on 5 January 2013.
Rosie O’Donnell filed for divorce from her second wife, Michelle Rounds, in February 2015 at the Manhattan State Supreme Court on the grounds of an irretrievably broken relationship. Their divorce was finalised in March 2016, with both parties maintaining joint legal custody of their child.
On 11 September 2017, Michelle Rounds died at her home in Windermere, Florida, in the United States. Reports from The Blast revealed that the Orlando Medical Examiner’s office ruled her death a suicide caused by intoxication from ingested amitriptyline, clonazepam, and quetiapine. At the time, she was married to Krista Monteleone, with whom she had adopted a second daughter.
Rosie O'Donnell's girlfriend history
Rosie O'Donnell has been in three public relationships. At the time of these relationships, Rosie was actively hosting her talk show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, which featured celebrities such as Lisa Schoen. Have a look at the details of her past girlfriends.
Tracy Kachtick-Anders (2009–2011)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Tracy Kachtick-Anders
- Date of birth: 1965
- Place of birth: Seabrook, Texas, United States
- Profession: Artist, writer, midwife
Rosie O'Donnell's relationship with Tracy Kachtick-Anders was confirmed in December 2009 by the comic's representative, soon after announcing her split from Kelli Carpenter. At the time, the artists had 9 children collectively. During the Rosie's Building Dreams for Kids Gala, Rosie told UsMagazine,
We're the Gay-dy Bunch! ... Part of the reason I fell in love with her was her love of kids. She was a foster mom and took in 12 to 13 kids and adopted a whole bunch as well. She's pretty amazing.
In 2011, news of Rosie O'Donnell and Tracy Kachtick-Anders's split hit the grapevine. Without denying the split, O'Donnell's publicist acknowledged the breakup to Page Six, adding that they remained amicable.
Elizabeth Rooney (2017–2019)
Source: Getty Images
- Full name: Elizabeth Rooney
- Date of birth: December 1984
- Place of birth: United States
- Profession: Police officer, army veteran
Rosie O'Donnell and Elizabeth Rooney dated for about a year, from 2017 to 2018, before their engagement. During an appearance on The Howard Stern Show in November 2017, O'Donnell confirmed their relationship, adding that this was her first relationship with a younger person.
I’ve been dating a woman who’s a police officer from Worcester. She’s in the mountain division, so she rides a horse every day.
In October 2018, the couple got engaged. Rosie announced the engagement in a now-deleted Instagram post with a large engagement ring and the caption, 'Yes', and a ring emoji.
About a year later, they called off their engagement. While neither the couple nor their representatives confirmed their breakup, the couple deleted each other's multiple photos on Instagram.
Aimee Hauer (2022)
Source: Instagram
- Full name: Aimee Hauer
- Date of birth: 1979
- Place of birth: United States
- Profession: Massage therapist
Rosie O'Donnell and Aimee Hauer dated for less than a year in 2022. The couple first introduced their relationship during the 2022 Pride Month celebrations in June. They became Instagram official with a photo of Aimee with her arms wrapped around Rosie.
During an episode of The Howard Stern Show on SiriusXM, she announced her relationship with the massage therapist. The pair first interacted on TikTok. The Living Single actress admitted that she reached out in a DM, hoping to build a friendship.
FAQs
- Who is Rosie O'Donnell married to right now? At the time of this writing, she is not married.
- Who was Rosie O'Donnell’s first wife? Rosie O'Donnell’s first wife is Kelli Carpenter, a former Nickelodeon executive and a podcast host.
- Are Rosie and Kelli still together? They separated in 2007.
- How long was Rosie O'Donnell married to Kelli Carpenter? The pair were married for about three years between 2004 and 2007.
- Who was Rosie O'Donnell's second wife? The American talk show host was married to Michelle Rounds between 2012 and 2016.
- What happened to Rosie O'Donnell's second wife? She passed away on 11 September 2017 from an apparent suicide.
- What did Michelle Rounds do for a living? She was a recruiter for an IT staffing firm in New York City.
- How many children did Michelle Rounds have? She had two daughters from her marriages to Rosie O'Donnell and later to Krista Monteleone.
- How many biological children does Rosie O'Donnell have? O'Donnell does not have any biological children.
- How old was Rosie when she had her first child? Rosie's firstborn son, Parker Jaren O'Donnell, was adopted shortly after his birth in 1995, when she was 33 years old.
Rosie O'Donnell was married to Kelli Carpenter and later to Michelle Rounds. Her first marriage helped strengthen the fight for marriage equality and resulted in the adoption of four children. Her second union ended in divorce before Rounds died in 2017.
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Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
