Rosie O'Donnell has admitted to undergoing a facelift earlier this year, despite previously swearing off plastic surgery. The 64-year-old comedian and former talk show host detailed her experience in an emotional Substack essay published on Monday, expressing feelings of guilt and shame over the procedure.
O'Donnell wrote that she had a 'moral' opposition to facelifts, viewing them as a betrayal of feminism and aging. However, after losing 50 pounds following the use of the diabetes drug Mounjaro, she decided to have a lower deep plane facelift in January to address loose skin and wrinkles. 'It wasn't wrinkles— it was gravity,' she said.
The decision was not without conflict. O'Donnell's 13-year-old child, Clay, voiced strong disapproval, telling her, 'I wouldn't be able to respect you if you did it.' Despite this, O'Donnell proceeded with the surgery, choosing a trusted doctor and vowing not to make further tweaks. 'I wanted to still be me, just… less haunted,' she wrote.
O'Donnell noted that no one, including Clay, has noticed the change. 'I went through a full existential feminist crisis, had my face and neck surgically altered, and the result is… zippo,' she said. She also expressed discomfort with the cost of the operation, which she described as 'more money than I have ever paid for a car,' calling it 'gross excess.'
O'Donnell now lives with Clay in Ireland, having moved there in early 2025 due to the political climate in the United States. She concluded her essay by reflecting on her journey: 'Just happy to be alive, able to feel and choose and use my voice whenever I feel called to.'
