Rosie O’Donnell thinks her ex’s new wife is trying to steal away their kids’ affection


Rosie O’Donnell has a new baby at home with her wife, Michelle Rounds, a daughter named Dakota they adopted in January. Rosie and Michelle were married in June of last year and soon faced a number of health setbacks. Rosie, 50, had a heart attack in August, and right around that time her wife, Michelle, was diagnosed with a rare disease called desmoid tumors. So these two have been through a lot together and they’re working to raise a baby, along with Rosie’s four kids from her last marriage, to Kelli Carpenter.

Like Rosie, Kelli has since remarried. Kelli’s new wife, Anne Steele, is a singer and baker who worked as an entertainer on the gay-friendly cruises that Kelli ran. Their romance blossomed in 2010 when they were working together and they were married on June first of this year. The NY Times had their wedding announcement, along with a nice profile of their relationship. The Times’ piece included details of what a warm person Anne is and how she bonded with Kelli’s four children with Rosie: sons Parker, 18, and Blake, 13, and daughters, Chelsea, 15, and Vivi, 10. If the National Enquirer is to be believed, Rosie is pretty miffed at the fact that her kids are getting so close with their new stepmom. Radar even compares Kelli’s new wife to LeAnn Rimes, which is totally off base as far as I’m concerned. Here’s more:

In the same fashion of Eddie Cirbian’s former and current wife, the former talk show host, who has four kids with her ex, is furious that Anne Steele — who Carpenter married on June 1 — is trying to steal away the affection of her kids, according to a new report from The ENQUIRER.

“Rosie’s nose is definitely out of joint over how instantly her children with Kelli have taken to their new stepmom,” a family friend revealed to the magazine.

“They seem to enjoy hanging out with them a lot more than with Ro and her wife Michelle (Rounds). That’s because they find Kelly and Anne to be more fun.”

The source maintained that although Rosie and her new wife can offer the kids a lot more money, they also have their hands full with their 5-month-old daughter Dakota.

And Rosie, who opted to stay far away from Carpenter’s backyard wedding in New York, was reportedly not too happy that their kids were part of the ceremony.

“In the end, Rosie relented when Kelli requested that their boys play key roles as members of the wedding party. Parker escorted his mom through the terraced garden, and Blake walked with Anne,” the source revealed. “It was a beautiful and joyous occasion.”

To read more on the drama between Rosie O’Donnell and her ex-wife, pick up the latest issue of The ENQUIRER, on newsstands now.

[From Radar Online]

So Rosie let her kids participate in the wedding, but she didn’t bother going. I understand that, but it also speaks to the fact that she’s not friendly with her ex at all. She could be jealous of the way Kelli’s new wife is so friendly with her kids. Rosie has dated several women since her split with Kelli in 2009. They’ve both moved on to new wives. It must be hard to see Kelli remarry, but her kids have another stable, loving person in their lives. Unless this new woman is shoving her stepmother status in Rosie’s face, and this article doesn’t suggest she is, it doesn’t seem like something she should get up in arms about.

Here’s a link to a photo of Kelli and her new wife, Anne.

Rosie and her wife are shown in April and October, 2012. She’s shown alone on April 15th. I didn’t pick the most unflattering photos of her, those were just about the only ones. Credit: WENN.com

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

22 Responses to “Rosie O’Donnell thinks her ex’s new wife is trying to steal away their kids’ affection”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. JL says:

    Step families are tough, the best thing Rosie could do is keep her mouth shut publicly.

    Placing that kind of Loyalty bind on your kids is destructive.

    • Meredith says:

      Agreed. Be thankful the new stepmom treats your kids well and they enjoy her company. Also Kelli was parenting those kids for many years and they are attached to her. So let the kids have what they need (emotional support and security)and go on with your own life. At least Rosie isn’t saying any of this in public (if the story is actually true).

  2. BeesKness says:

    “And Rosie, who opted to stay far away from Carpenter’s backyard wedding in New York, was reportedly not too happy that their kids were part of the ceremony.”

    I HATE hearing stuff like that. If they are Kelli’s kids too, they have every right to be in the ceremony. Rosie doesn’t have a reputation for being a particularly nice, pleasant woman so I have a problem believing that this woman is some meddling step mom. Despite having a new wife and child, methinks Rosie is a wee bit jealous of Kelli’s new wife.

    • Lucinda says:

      I really hate that Rosie is putting her kids in a position of having to choose between their mothers. My mom did that to me all the time with my dad. It was awful.

  3. Quinn says:

    This woman is PERPETUALLY unhappy.

    Here’s a tip: if you are FOREVER in a fight with the people around you, it just might be YOU that’s the problem.

    • LahdidahBaby says:

      +1
      Rosie will never be happy with anyone. Didn’t she leave the marriage, anyway? Does Rosie think she’s so powerful and Kelli’s such a nobody that when Rosie’s finished with Kelli, Kelli should just stop living and disappear? To my mind, Rosie embodies all that’s wrong with the worst kind of men: arrogant, bullying, intolerant, controlling, jealous, and power-hungry.

      When Rosie and the Donald were locked in that years-long bitchfest, I thought they were perfectly matched and equally disgusting. Too bad they couldn’t end up with each other.

    • LL2 says:

      Good tip! 🙂 Rosie has anger issues, I think. If she isn’t careful, she will lose this relationship as well.

  4. Dawn says:

    For the most part I like Rosie. I think she can be very funny when she wants to be. I really don’t like however putting children in the middle of breakups and it seems that she is doing this. Let it go Rosie is all I can say.

  5. Suzy from Ontario says:

    I think she’s being very immature and it puts her kids into a difficult and uncomfortable situation…that liking Kelli’s new wife, which is surely something Kelli wants, is disloyal to their other Mom and makes her upset. It’s a no win and it’s not fair to the kids at all! The more people who love them the better.

    Splitting up when kids are involved is tough, but both have remarried and Rosie has a new baby with her new partner. She needs to rise above her insecurities and be happy for her ex and enjoy her new life. She should be glad the kids have a new stepmom that they like and that seems to care for them. Way too many stepparents are uncaring and abusive.

    Grow up Rosie! Her attitude will only alienate her kids more if she keeps it up.

  6. DoMaJoReMc says:

    AS a Step-Mom, myself…I want to respond to all of the above comments. TRUE, TRUE, TRUE! A Step-Mom is well aware of the stigma (Wicked Step-Mom) that is attached (unfairly, in 99% of the cases)to the title…the LAST thing we want is to add drama, anger, jealousy, and discord to the dynamics. All we REALLY want is to be a good, stable, loving, nurturing presence in that child(ren)’s life. No hidden agendas…just love!

  7. lovegossip says:

    Sorry, I can’t stand that woman and feel sorry for her X. I just think she is a spiteful person who will use anyone close to them, kids included, to get her way. That said, her kids are old enough to decide if they want to be in the wedding and I don’t see her being able to block it, considering they share the kids, so I don’t believe this story. I think she would if she could tho.

  8. mslewis says:

    I don’t believe this story. These kids are not babies and they can decide for themselves who they want to bond with. I doubt Rosie is unhappy about it. She always seem like a good Mom and wants the best for her kids so I imagine she’s happy that they are happy. Just another silly story from the NatEnq.

  9. Sleepyjane says:

    Well, the stepmom did post pics of at least one of Rosie’s kids on her twitter. *Gasps, faints, falls to floor*

    As long as stepmom is not intentionally trying to hurt anyone, and truly has the kids’ best interest at heart… I hope Rosie can be happy about her.

  10. truthful says:

    I’d like to see a pic of Kelli’s new wife, that may explain it, LOL

    Rosie has to have it all about her…

    I am sooo glad that Kelli was able to move on and find some happiness..that’s what it is all about, grabbing a lil happiness.

    good luck to the new couple

  11. teehee says:

    Kids will automatically go where there is love. If there is fear, jealousy, bitterness, then yes they will not be drawn to it and will instead drift away from it. That said, if she is afraid, then she must have a valid reason for worrying…. usually, fears are self-fulfilling though, so….. just so long the kids get love from somewhere, she should be glad. If I saw my kids were loved by someone and loved that person, I wouldnt fear, I would be happy for their good fortune!

  12. Bonfire Beach says:

    I’m sure it would be perfectly ok for Rosie’s new wife to bond with the kids, though.

    • lisa says:

      seriously yo

      and rosie was engaged in between the marriages to someone with a ton of kids. even though rosie has moved on, she doesnt seem to want kelly to do the same. rosie is perpetually unhappy. ita w the person upthread who said that it is her.

  13. Ryan says:

    I wonder what Mother’s Day is like for the kids. They’ve got 4 now, and they obviously don’t get along.

  14. LL2 says:

    Rosie’s new love is beautiful.

  15. dread pirate cuervo says:

    Does Kelli have joint custody? I don’t understand the line about Rosie allowing the kids to be part of Kelli’s ceremony. My stepkids were in my wedding & my husband couldn’t have given a rat’s ass what his ex-wife thought. We picked our wedding date so it was a long holiday weekend that was “ours” so there was no conflict with the parenting schedule. If she didn’t like them being involved in our wedding, she shouldn’t have left their father in the first place. I get along wonderfully with my steps kids & have since day 1. It is not possible for me to steal their affection for their mother bc that has nothing to do with me. What is possible is for their mother to alienate them with lies & general drama queen foolery. Again, nothing to do with me. It’s not like there is a finite amount of love to go around & only one of us can have it.