Rosie O'Donnell

Rosie O'Donnell is an Emmy Award-winning comedian, actress, and talk show host known for The Rosie O'Donnell Show (1996) and The View (1997). She came out as lesbian in February 2002 during a set at an Ovarian Cancer Research benefit at Caroline's Comedy Club in New York, declaring "I'm a dyke!" and connecting her disclosure to advocacy for same-sex adoption rights -- she had been raising her adopted children while partnered with Kelli Carpenter. O'Donnell had kept her sexuality private during the height of her daytime talk show fame, which ended just two months later. She was married to Carpenter (2004-2007) and later to Michelle Rounds (2012-2015). She has been an outspoken LGBTQ+ advocate and has spoken candidly about the personal and professional costs of being a closeted public figure.