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Rosie O'Donnell on Her Relationship With Estranged Daughter Chelsea: ''I Will Always Love Her''

Actress says that despite the current state of things she will continue to love her child

By Meg Swertlow Oct 10, 2017 8:07 PMTags
Watch: Rosie O'Donnell on Her Relationship With Estranged Daughter

The relationship between any mother and daughter can be a complicated one—and that certainly can be said for the dynamic between Rosie O'Donnell and her daughter Chelsea Alliegro, whom she is currently estranged from.

At the premiere of her new Showtime comedy SMILF on Monday night, Rosie opened up to E! News about the current state of things with the 20-year-old, who announced last month that she was pregnant with her first child and that her famous mother would not be involved. 

Rosie confessed, "She thinks I suck right now."

When asked if it was difficult to watch things with her play out in the media, Rosie admitted, "The press part is a little bit hard. She doesn't always have the ability to make the right decisions in the moment. And a lot of people in the press have a predatory instinct against her."

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The 55-year-old also explained that because her daughter was living in Texas and not speaking to anyone else in the family, it was reporters who informed Chelsea that Rosie's ex-wife Michelle Rounds had committed suicide. Rosie said that after that Chelsea did her interview with the Daily Mail in which she announced her pregnancy.

In Chelsea's interview last month, she said, "Rosie will not have a part in this child's life...Rosie and I don't have a relationship any more. I don't think it can ever be mended. I really don't think there is any hope for our relationship."

In Monday's red carpet interview, Rosie said, "To say it's not painful is a lie."

But despite everything, the controversial comedy queen says she's got nothing but love for her daughter. "I love her and I will always love her."

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The relationship between Rosie and Chelsea has been strained for years, reaching a boiling point in 2015 when the then 17-year-old was reported missing by her mother. Authorities later found Chelsea in New Jersey at the house of a 26-year-old man with an arrest record, including charges of heroin possession. However, no arrests were made as Chelsea had been there voluntarily and no drugs were found.  

Earlier this year, O'Donnell released a statement claiming her daughter is "mentally ill" adding, "She is very sick. She is not capable of truth or reason. She has not been in touch with anyone since her husband tried to extort $9000 from this family."

Rosie's new comedy SMILF, which follows a young single mom trying to navigate life in South Boston with an extremely unconventional family, premieres Sunday, Nov. 5 at 10 p.m. on Showtime.