Rosie O’Donnell Ends Kimmel Guest-Host Run With Trump Parody Song

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The ‘Donny Boy’ Performance and Late-Night Monologue

According to Mediaite, O’Donnell opened her Thursday night show by thanking viewers and calling out the White House. She dedicated her final musical number to a “very special boy” before singing “Donny Boy,” a reworked version of the traditional tune that urged Trump to resign. Backed by on-screen polling graphs and headlines, the comedian sang lyrics critiquing the administration’s approval numbers, foreign policy decisions, and domestic events.

The musical send-off capped a week of pointed commentary from the 64-year-old comedian. Throughout her week hosting the ABC late-night program, O’Donnell avoided using the president’s given name, instead referring to him with nicknames such as “Mango Mussolini” and “President Oompa Loompa,” as reported by Mediaite.

Disputed Claims Over Canceled Parody Bits

Before her week of hosting began, O’Donnell alleged on Kara Swisher’s podcast, On with Kara Swisher, that network executives had blocked a separate parody sketch she planned to perform, according to Daily Mail reporting. O’Donnell stated that ABC told her she could not perform a parody of “If I Only Had a Brain” from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz because it constituted political content.

However, a source familiar with the matter disputed that characterization to the Daily Mail, clarifying that the sketch’s music clearance was simply a standard process still under review by the network. The original musical numbers from the film were composed by Harold Arlen with lyrics by EY ‘Yip’ Harburg, and while the L. Frank Baum novel is in the public domain, film rights are held by Warner Bros.

Summer Guest-Host Lineup and Ratings Success

O’Donnell’s appearance is part of a rotating slate of celebrity guest hosts filling in during Jimmy Kimmel’s summer vacation, which began in late June. Alongside O’Donnell, Kimmel’s temporary replacements have included Jelly Roll, Colman Domingo, Anthony Anderson, and Tiffany Haddish, according to broadcast announcements.

The guest-host experiment has proven beneficial for the program’s viewership. According to LateNighter, O’Donnell’s guest-hosting stint delivered a notable ratings win for the late-night show during its summer broadcast window.

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