Inside Rosie O'Donnell's VERY Tangled Family Life: Everything You Need to Know About Comic's 5 Kids After Junkie Daughter Chelsea's 'Child Neglect' Arrest
Oct. 29 2024, Published 5:30 p.m. ET
Parker Jaren O'Donnell
The eldest of the siblings, Parker Jaren O'Donnell, was adopted by Rosie O'Donnell shortly after he was born on May 25, 1995. Though the comedian was initially a single mom, her first wife, Kelli Carpenter, eventually became a legal parent, as well.
In 2010, Rosie shared a cute conversation she had with Parker.
She recalled: "He used to say, ‘Did I grew in your tummy?' and I said, ‘No, you grew in my heart.' He said, ‘Well, it feels like I grew in your tummy,' and I said, ‘You're right, it does feel like you grew in my tummy.
"I said, ‘You know, you grew in someone else's tummy and God looked inside and he knew that you were going to be raised by a different mommy. God picked me, and your birth mommy listened.' And he said ‘Yeah, 'cause me and you, we're a good match.'
"But we are a good match and he knows this and I've told him already [that] he's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me in my entire life and I'm forever grateful he is the boy who changed it all."
Parker, 29, attended the Valley Forge Military Academy and is currently serving in the Marines. He has been dating his longtime partner, Hannah, for around 10 years.
Chelsea Belle O'Donnell
Rosie and Kelli adopted Chelsea Belle O'Donnell, who recently made headlines following her arrest, after her birth on September 20, 1997. The mom-and-daughter tandem, however, did not always have a smooth-sailing relationship.
She said of her mother: "Growing up, I never really got along with her and then once she kicked me out, I was just kind of done.
"I miss the rest of my family a lot but I think there is some much-needed space between me and Rosie. It's been nice having that."
Chelsea, 27, first made headlines when she went missing in 2015. She was then arrested on felony child neglect and drug possession charges in September before her second arrest on October 11. She was charged with felony counts of possession of methamphetamine, possession of narcotic drugs and bail jumping on top of misdemeanor counts of resisting or obstructing an officer and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Chelsea is a mom of four children: Skylar Rose, Riley, Avery Lynn and Atlas.
Blake Christopher O'Donnell
Born on December 5, 1999, Blake Christopher O'Donnell became Rosie and Kelli's third adopted child. He attended Marist College in New York starting in 2018.
In December 2022, Rosie confirmed Blake's engagement to Teresa Garofalow Westervelt, revealing her son popped the question during a Broadway performance of Phantom of the Opera. The pair exchanged vows during a lavish ceremony on August 16.
Vivienne Rose O'Donnell
Kelli gave birth to Vivienne Rose O'Donnell on November 29, 2002, following a successful artificial insemination.
Following her graduation from high school in 2021, she began attending the University of Delaware.
In a TikTok post in 2022, Vivienne humorously described her upbringing as "not normal", explaining: "No offense, Mom, that never happened. She just didn't really inform us, for really anything."
As a response, Rosie posted a separate TikTok video in which she said: "Vivi, what do you mean I didn't do anything normal? I did normal things. I'm normal. I'm totally normal. Jeez, Viv. I'm gonna tell some secrets about you."
Dakota O'Donnell
After marrying her second wife, Michelle Rounds, on June 9, 2012, Rosie adopted her fifth child, Dakota O'Donnell, who was born on January 5, 2013.
Michelle died by suicide in 2017, two years after they divorced in February 2015.
In 2022, The Rosie O'Donnell Show star penned an essay for People in which she spoke about Dakota's autism diagnosis for the first time.
Rosie said: "I didn't want Dakota to feel shame about her diagnosis. I have told her from the start that autism is her superpower.
"I am learning to have compassion much deeper than I ever did. To really listen and communicate in a way I never had to with my other kids. The sense of vulnerability that comes with having a kid with autism has been a gift to me. She teaches me."
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