Rosie O’Donnell Breaks Her Silence on Daughter’s Arrest for Child Neglect, Drug Possession

Rosie O’Donnell is speaking out following her daughter Chelsea Belle O’Donnell’s arrest. After her eldest was charged with child neglect and drug possession, the comedian took to Instagram to share a statement from her family.

“Chelsea is in the news today – this is a photo from a better time – here is the family comment,” Rosie, 62, wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of Chelsea and a baby on Saturday, Oct. 19. “Sadly this is not new for our family – chelsea has struggled with drug addiction for a decade – we r all hopeful she will find her way out of this deadly disease.” Adding a broken heart emoji, Rosie hashtagged “love” and “alanon” before concluding with the day’s date, “10.19.24.”

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Chelsea, 27, was arrested on Sept. 10, in Marinette County, Wisconsin, after police carried out a search warrant at her home, according to court records obtained by multiple outlets. She was charged with multiple felony counts of neglecting a child, possession of methamphetamine and maintaining a drug trafficking place, as well as misdemeanor counts of possession of THC, drug paraphernalia and illegally obtained prescription drugs, as well as disorderly conduct. She was released later that month after posting a $2,000 bond.

On Oct. 11, Chelsea was booked into Oconto County Jail, where she remains in custody. She is now also facing felony counts of possession of methamphetamine, possession of narcotic drugs and bail jumping, plus misdemeanor counts of resisting or obstructing an officer and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Chelsea, who is mother to Skylar Rose, 5, Riley, 3, Avery Lynn, 2, and Atlas, 11 months, is due in court on Nov. 4 and 7.

Rosie has been open about Chelsea’s struggles, having adopted her eldest daughter as a baby during the TV personality’s marriage to ex-wife Kelli Carpenter. (Rosie is also mom to Parker, 29, Blake, 24, Vivienne, 21, and Dakota, 11.)

“Chelsea is mentally ill,” Rosie told the Daily Mail in 2017. “[She] has been in and out of hospitals most of her life. Born addicted to heroin. She has had a tough road. She is very sick. She is not capable of truth or reason.”

A year later, Rosie revealed on The Talk that she and her estranged daughter had reconnected following Chelsea’s first pregnancy. She said that their relationship being tested when Chelsea moved to Wisconsin to be closer to her biological mother made their bond stronger “because we went through some really public troubled times.”

“She’s doing better now and we’re both communicating with each other,” Rosie shared. “When somebody does something unforgivable to you and you can forgive them and they can forgive you, there’s a kind of grace that descends upon the both of you, within that.”