Rosie O’Donnell Clears the Air After Kathy Griffin Says Jimmy Kimmel Live Snub Really Hurt

Rosie O’Donnell has responded after longtime friend Kathy Griffin publicly admitted that her feelings were “really hurt” when she wasn’t invited to appear during O’Donnell’s guest-hosting stint on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

The situation had the potential to become an awkward disagreement between two veteran comedians, but O’Donnell offered a straightforward explanation. Responding directly to Griffin on Instagram, she said she wasn’t responsible for selecting the week’s guests and suggested Griffin should have contacted her directly.

Kathy Griffin Admitted Her Feelings Were Hurt

Griffin addressed the situation in a YouTube video titled “If Rosie Would’ve Called, I Would’ve Jumped.”

“My feelings were really hurt that I was not invited to go on Rosie’s week of the Jimmy Kimmel show,” Griffin said.

The disappointment was particularly personal because Griffin described both O’Donnell and Jimmy Kimmel as two of her oldest friends.

Rather than accusing O’Donnell of intentionally excluding her, however, Griffin acknowledged from the beginning that she didn’t know how much control a guest host actually has over booking decisions.

Griffin Says She Had Already Mentioned Wanting to Appear

Griffin explained that she and O’Donnell had recently been on a flight together and that she told her friend she would “love to be a guest” during O’Donnell’s run on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

According to Griffin, O’Donnell didn’t give her a firm answer at the time.

Griffin said she understood that O’Donnell might not have authority over bookings, but her expectations began growing as friends started asking when she would appear.

Some apparently wondered whether Griffin would participate in an interview, sketch or surprise appearance.

“And you know, I admit I was kind of getting excited,” Griffin recalled, adding that she thought the appearance could have created “a really cool moment.”

Rosie O’Donnell Explained What Actually Happened

Once Griffin publicly discussed her disappointment, O’Donnell responded directly in the comments of Griffin’s Instagram post.

“Kathy – shoulda called me honey – I didn’t choose the guests…,” O’Donnell wrote.

The short response addressed the central question Griffin herself had raised: whether O’Donnell was responsible for deciding who appeared alongside her.

According to O’Donnell, she wasn’t.

That makes the apparent snub considerably less personal than Griffin initially feared. Rather than deliberately deciding against booking her longtime friend, O’Donnell indicated that the show’s guest lineup wasn’t hers to choose.

Griffin Thought Their Appearance Could Have Been Significant

Griffin’s disappointment wasn’t simply about getting another television appearance.

She believed appearing alongside O’Donnell could have carried additional significance because both comedians have had highly publicized conflicts involving President Donald Trump.

Griffin became embroiled in an enormous controversy in 2017 after posing for a photograph holding a bloody replica of Trump’s head. She later apologized for the image before eventually withdrawing that apology.

O’Donnell’s clashes with Trump stretch back even further. Their public feud began years before he entered the White House and has repeatedly resurfaced through interviews, television appearances and social media posts.

Griffin therefore saw the possibility of appearing during O’Donnell’s hosting week as an interesting cultural and comedic moment.

Griffin Still Encouraged Fans to Support O’Donnell

Despite acknowledging that the situation hurt her feelings, Griffin didn’t turn her disappointment into an attack on O’Donnell.

Instead, she praised her friend’s performance as guest host and encouraged viewers to watch.

“She’s doing a great job and will continue to,” Griffin said, adding that she intended to watch every night and “cheer her on.”

That distinction helped keep the disagreement from turning into a full-scale celebrity feud. Griffin was candid about feeling excluded while simultaneously acknowledging that she didn’t know who had actually made the booking decisions.

O’Donnell’s Guest List Was Already Packed

O’Donnell’s stint behind Kimmel’s desk included a substantial collection of television, film and comedy personalities.

Guests appearing during her run included Hannah Waddingham, Ana Gasteyer, Jean Smart and Richard Gadd, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Charlie Day, Janelle James, Shawn Hatosy, Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman were also among the names scheduled during the week.

The lineup reinforces O’Donnell’s explanation that the appearances were part of a broader production schedule rather than simply an informal collection of celebrities personally invited by the guest host.

A Potential Celebrity Feud May Have Ended Before It Started

What initially sounded like the beginning of tension between two longtime friends now appears to have a relatively simple explanation.

Griffin wanted to appear, believed an appearance alongside O’Donnell could be memorable and became increasingly disappointed when an invitation never arrived. O’Donnell, meanwhile, says she wasn’t the person making those booking decisions.

Her message also left the door open rather than shutting it.

“Shoulda called me honey” suggests O’Donnell wasn’t opposed to hearing directly from Griffin about the situation. Whether the two eventually reunite on television remains to be seen, but O’Donnell’s response makes one thing considerably clearer: according to her, the absence of Griffin from Jimmy Kimmel Live wasn’t intended as a personal snub.

Featured Image: instagram.com/kathygriffin, instagram.com/rosie