Photo Credit: Getty Images
Rosie O'Donnell says she had planned to bring Jeffrey Epstein survivors onto Jimmy Kimmel Live! during her recent guest-hosting stint, but claims ABC made it clear the segment would not be allowed to air.
Rosie discussed the incident during an appearance on The Jann Arden Podcast, revealing that she wanted to dedicate her final night as guest host to women who had survived abuse connected to Epstein.
"My idea for the last night was to do the Epstein reveal, and they said that they were certain that could not happen," O'Donnell said.
Rather than abandon the idea, O'Donnell decided to produce the segment independently. She contacted eight Epstein survivors and filmed a video with them, which she later shared on social media.
"We met, and I told them a little about my history, and I told them why it means so much to me and to the human race and why this is of vital importance," she explained. "I thanked them for trusting me, and then we shot it in a few hours."
The resulting video featured the women, dressed in white, joining O'Donnell in singing Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman." The song, she explained, was significant to her because she learned it as a child and viewed it as a reminder to use her voice.
In the video's caption, O'Donnell also described the survivors as heroes and said she was sorry they had received so little support.
"I just think when there's such gross injustice, it calls to me, and I feel like you know I have to use my voice," she said on the podcast.
O'Donnell also revealed that the project may not end with the group video. She said she now intends to spotlight each of the eight women individually and tell their stories in greater depth.
"I will do a segment on each of those women, up close and personal, and we'll tell each of their stories, eight of them," she said.
O'Donnell guest hosted four episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live! during the week of Aug. 17 while regular host Jimmy Kimmel was away. She released the survivors' video on Instagram on Sept. 3, roughly two weeks after her stint on the show.
Kimmel later shared the video on his own Instagram Story.
O'Donnell has not publicly explained exactly why ABC rejected the proposed segment, and ABC had not responded to requests for comment from multiple outlets.
