Rosie O'Donnell details painful experience of meeting daughter in jail

Rosie O'Donnell has spoken about visiting her daughter in prison.

The League of Their Own star visited her 28-year-old daughter, Chelsea Belle O'Donnell, in prison last month.

Now she has revealed how it was the longest conversation the pair has had in a decade.

"(It) was the first conversation I've had with her in 10 years that lasted more than 25 minutes," Rosie told Page Six. "The first time that I saw her in a consistent way was the four hours in the prison."

She told how Chelsea, who she adopted in 1997 with ex-wife Kelli Carpenter, has been sober for "almost two years now," adding, "That's a very big part. She was born addicted, and when I was adopting, I thought, 'Well, love can cure everything,' but I don't know that that's true."

A tornado warning cut the visit short; something Rosie revealed made Chelsea cry. Rosie told how those tears were the "first time I've seen an empathetic emotion from her."

She further mentioned, "She's growing up. I hope that her future is brighter than this past decade has been."

Chelsea was sentenced to prison last October after she was arrested three times in 2024. The charges included neglecting a child and possession of methamphetamine.

Rosie O’Donnell will talk about her relationship with Chelsea in her upcoming one-woman show. "I've asked for Chelsea's input," she said. "I sent it to her and said, 'I'd really love to get you - your voice heard and just now what I perceive to be your voice... and I think she's ready to do that now."