Rosie O'Donnell

Outspoken comedienne Rosie O'Donnell first made a name for herself with her Long Island-accented stand-up and later as the affable star of films and, most notably, her popular daytime television talk show, "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" (1996-2002). Just before leaving her cushy TV gig, the comic came out of the closet, revealing both her homosexuality and a whole other side to her "Queen of Nice" personality. Taking on everything from the NRA to the President of the United States to the government of the Bahamas, O'Donnell let the fur fly, speaking her mind as she had always done - only this time, without the restrictions of her talk show persona. Fans delighted when O'Donnell returned to daytime television on "The View" (ABC, 1997- ) in 2006, resulting in skyrocketing ratings immediately upon her arrival. After a single, stormy season on "The View" - encompassing an escalating war of words with media-loving tycoon Donald Trump, and culminating with an on-air dust up with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck - O'Donnell departed the show abruptly in April of 2007. In the years following her exit from "The View," O'Donnell published a tell-all memoir Celebrity Detox, continued her popular video blog, "JaHeRo" on her rosie.com website, and hosted "Rosie Radio" on Sirius XM satellite radio. Unceasingly passionate, always opinionated, and frequently controversial, O'Donnell never failed to both inspire and irritate the public at large.