Rosie O'Donnell: 'I Am Not A Scary Monster'

As she heads back out on her first standup comedy tour in years, Rosie O'Donnell is trying to reassure potential ticket buyers.

'To some people, I'm a scary monster and to other people I'm, you know, I speak truth to power," the former talk show host told The Sydney Morning Herald.

"I'll still say things that'll piss people off, don't you worry about that! I think any comedian goes towards the things that anger them and they're able to twist into a way that gives you the comedy but the point still hits home.

O'Donnell is headed to Australia early next year for several shows, and she's giving her fans Down Under a heads up that she'll be going after the country's new prime minister.

''Yeah, you got that new guy - he doesn't seem too promising,'' the former The View host says of Tony Abbott. ''Sounds like Sarah Palin got elected down there! We've come such a long way here in the U.S..

"My wife is nine years younger than me and often when we're out in public she'll just grab my hand and you know, often I kind of look around to see if it's OK or if it's safe. I don't have that any more, that anxiety. I feel like the government has finally said 'you are an equal citizen and you are allowed to love who you love'. "