Inside Rosie O'Donnell's Relationship With Her Five Kids

Ever since becoming a mother, comedian Rosie O'Donnell has always had a full household. Although she's adopted and raised her five children with equal amounts of love, Rosie had to shift her parenting style to address each of her kids' interests and needs. "[My son] Parker loves War Hammer, which is a model series where you paint the models, and then you go to the place, and you have little wars with other guys with models," she once shared with Just Jared. "That's the thing that he loves the most. Then with [my daughter] Chelsea, there's her horse – she loves horseback riding, and with [my son] Blake, it's snowboarding."

Incidentally, as her family matured and expanded, Rosie's parenting has affected her children just as differently. Whereas she's developed a close, healthy relationship with a few of her babies, she didn't have the same wholesome experience with all of them. In fact, there was even one child who preferred being with their biological parents than with Rosie.

Rosie O'Donnell adopted her first child, Parker Jaren O'Donnell, on May 25, 1995, shortly after his birth. In addition to video games, Parker had a strong fascination with the military. So much so that he eventually convinced his mom to enroll him in the Valley Forge Military Academy and College. Afterward, Parker became a Marine before following his childhood passion. "He's working at a gaming business where he makes the Warhammer models," Rosie told Entertainment Tonight. "And he's loved that since he was a little kid."

In her younger years, Rosie described taking in Parker as a life-changing experience. When a much younger Parker started asking Rosie questions about his adoption process, Rosie reassured him that he was as much her child as he would've been had she given birth to him. "He used to say 'Did I grew in your tummy?' and I said 'No, you grew in my heart,'" Rosie recalled in an interview with Access (via NBC Miami). "He said, 'Well, it feels like I grew in your tummy,' and I said, 'You're right, it does feel like you grew in my tummy.'"

Rosie O'Donnell's relationship with daughter Chelsea Belle O'Donnell isn't as warm as it appears to be with the rest of her clan. Chelsea was born on September 20, 1997, before being adopted and raised by Rosie and her ex-wife, Kelli Carpenter. However, the comedian and Chelsea didn't see eye to eye, and tensions exploded as Chelsea got older. In her adolescent years, Chelsea became very candid about some of the issues she had with her mom. She accused Rosie of putting on a phony, bubbly persona when she was out in public while being much more reserved and isolated at home. "I feel she should be her real self, who she really is," Chelsea once told the Daily Mail.

One of the many tragic details about Chelsea's life is that she ran away from home when she turned 18. However, Chelsea claimed Rosie kicked her out of the house. In September 2015, She briefly moved to reconnect with her biological mother, Deanna Micoley, who lived in Wisconsin. But Rosie and Chelsea wouldn't avoid each other for long. The two shared a picture on Instagram in August 2016, smiling side by side. Still, Chelsea and Rosie would be at odds again when Chelsea married her boyfriend, Nicholas Alliegro, on July 1, 2016, without telling "The Flinstones" star. However, in 2018, Rosie asserted that their relationship was in a healthy place again. She even recognized the value in her chaotic situation with Chelsea, feeling that it brought them closer in the end. "She's doing better now and we're both communicating with each other," she said on "The Talk" (via People).

Rosie O'Donnell and Kelli Carpenter went on to adopt Blake O'Donnell, who was born on December 5, 1999. Like with Parker, Rosie has the ideal mother-son relationship with her youngest son. Evidence of their bond is apparent on social media, where Rosie has often paid tribute to her son in one way or another on Instagram. Their closeness made it especially hard for Rosie to send her son off to Marist college in New York when he was 18. Rosie was also present at her son's wedding when he married his longtime girlfriend, Teresa Garofalow, in August 2024.

Blake has also made a few creative contributions to the O'Donnell family when he was younger. Since he grew up with two mothers and didn't want to address his parents by their names, Blake came up with a unique nickname to distinguish the two at an early age. "They call me 'Mama,' and they call Kelli either 'Mommy' or 'Mama Kelli.' Or sometimes they call me 'More Mama.'" Rosie explained to Just Jared. "Once, when Blake was little, he said 'Mama,' and Kelli turned around, and then he said, 'No, MORE Mama!' and he pointed to me, and the name has kind of stuck."

Vivienne O'Donnell was the last child Rosie O'Donnell adopted with Kelli Carpenter before their divorce in 2007. Vivienne was born on November 29, 2002, and has enjoyed a lovely relationship with the O'Donnells ever since joining their family. Rosie gushed when her daughter graduated high school to attend the University of Delaware. In a 2022 interview with People, the "America" star offered a promising update on her daughter's college experience, showing that she's still very much a part of her life. "She was on the Dean's List," Rosie announced. "I was very proud of her. She's a great student, and she's loving college, and she got her own apartment, and she's good."

Vivienne has nothing but fond memories with her family. She praised her parents for protecting her from the craziness of Hollywood at a young age. But although she had a good upbringing, Vivienne confided that it was anything but normal. And it was a message that Vivienne made sure Rosie was aware of. "She called me first and said, 'Normal, Mom. Most people, it's not normal to have a lesbian icon as a mother who fights with the president while you are in high school. That's not normal.' So she was kind of ribbing me and teasing in the way that we do," Rosie told People.

Dakota O'Donnell was born on January 5, 2013, and is the last child to join the O'Donnell household. Rosie O'Donnell joked that she took in another younger child after the stress of dealing with her older kids. "My teenagers are a nightmare. They're horrible," she said during a standup comedy set. "I had four teenagers when I decided to adopt a newborn baby. You might ask why. Because I had four teenagers, and I needed to remind myself that I actually do love children."

Rosie has developed as close of a bond with Dakota as she has with her other kids. In November 2016, she went public with her daughter's autism diagnosis in a personal essay shared by People. Helping her daughter through her diagnosis, however, only strengthened the bond between them over the years. "I am learning to have compassion much deeper than I ever did. To really listen and communicate in a way I never had to with my other kids. The sense of vulnerability that comes with having a kid with autism has been a gift to me. She teaches me," Rosie wrote.

The mother and daughter remain close, and Dakota is a constant presence on Rosie's social media. Dakota was even the heartwarming reason why Rosie decided to move from New York to LA.