Rosie O’Donnell has broken her silence regarding her daughter’s recent arrests for child neglect and drug possession, stating that this is unfortunately not a new issue for their family. The 62-year-old comedian and actor’s eldest daughter, Chelsea O’Donnell, aged 27, was taken into custody in Wisconsin on September 17 and was later booked into Marinette County Jail. Court records revealed that she faced charges of neglecting a child, methamphetamine possession, operating a drug trafficking location, and various other minor drug-related offenses. Chelsea, whom O’Donnell adopted with her former partner Kelli Carpenter as a baby, was released on a $2,000 bond subsequent to her initial arrest. However, on October 11, she was arrested again and sent to Oconto County Jail, where she is currently confronting additional felony charges, including possession of methamphetamine, possession of narcotic drugs, and bail violation, alongside misdemeanor counts of resisting or obstructing an officer and possession of drug paraphernalia. Court proceedings for Chelsea are set for November 4 and 7.
Following the news of Chelsea’s legal troubles, O’Donnell turned to Instagram on Sunday, October 20, to post a statement from her family and an old photograph of her daughter during happier times. Alongside an older selfie of Chelsea with a baby, she mentioned, “Chelsea is in the news today – this is a photo from a better time – here is the family comment.” O’Donnell further disclosed, “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 [sic].”
Over the years, O’Donnell and Chelsea have had a turbulent relationship, with Chelsea disappearing from their New York residence in 2015. Subsequently found by authorities, she relocated to Wisconsin to reside with her biological mother. However, they reconnected after Chelsea gave birth to her first child in 2018, with O’Donnell expressing hope and stating, “She’s doing better now, and we’re both communicating with each other.” Chelsea is now a mother to three daughters, Riley, Avery Lynn, and a son named Atlas, born in January 2021, February 2022, and October 2023, respectively. Alongside Chelsea, O’Donnell is also a mother to Parker, 29, Blake, 24, Vivienne, 21, and Dakota, 11. While Parker, Chelsea, and Vivienne were adopted by O’Donnell and Carpenter before their separation in 2007, Dakota was adopted with O’Donnell’s second spouse, Michelle Rounds, before their divorce in 2015.