Laura Cavanaugh/Getty ImagesRosie O'Donnell may be celebrating the 12th year of her Theater Kids organization, but there was one kid noticeably missing from the grand affair.
The 53-year-old mother attended the celebration Monday in New York City with her kids, including Parker, 20, Blake, 15, Vivienne, 12, and close friend Tatum O'Neal. However, her oldest daughter, Chelsea, was clearly not present.
"Yes, all of my kids except Chelsea [are here]," O'Donnell told Us Weekly. "Which is sad, but hopefully, there will come a day when she'll want to come."
Chelsea, whom O'Donnell adopted with ex-wife Kelli Carpenter, was a fixture of public spotlight in late August after she stopped taking her medication and left home without explanation with her therapy dog, Bear. The then 17-year-old was later found alive in New Jersey living with 26-year-old Steven Sheerer, who had been previously arrested for heroin possession. Sheerer was arrested on charges of endangering a child. Following the chaos, Chelsea decided to permanently live with her birth mother, Deanna Micoley.
"Well, it's not really a new situation for our family," O'Donnell said of her daughter's behavior. "I know it's new for the press so it seems to be making a big splash, but it's been a situation that the whole family has had to deal with for over a decade. It hasn't been easy, but we love her very much, and we hope she's safe and starts to make some better choices."
The former talk show host also discussed her reasoning behind being open with the public, especially in light of her daughter's run from home, which she initially alerted the public to on her own blog.
"I grew up in a family where there were a lot of secrets and those secrets were not very healthy. I've been accused of never having a thought enter my head that doesn't come out of my mouth, which may be true. I don't know," she said. "I just think there are so many people. I've been getting so many letters on whatever seems to be the issue in my life. When I had a heart attack so many people emailed...so the situation with my daughter is similar.'"
O'Donnell hopes that while her daughter is officially an adult making her own decisions, she'll choose to rejoin her family on her own accord.
"There's a crisis of health for children who have challenges in their perception," she told the magazine. "We were lucky enough to get her the best help available in the United States. But, when a child turns 18, there's nothing legally that a parent can do, and she's turned 18. So, we hope that she is safe, number one, and that she finds her way back home."