Rosie O’Donnell ‘Hopeful’ After Daughter Chelsea Is Arrested on Drug Charges

The 27-year-old mother of four, who was also arrested in September, is being held in a Wisconsin county jail..
Rosie O’Donnell ‘Hopeful’ After Daughter Chelsea Is Arrested on Drug Charges
Rosie O'Donnell attends the Showtime Emmy FYC Screening of "SMILF" in New York on May 8, 2018. Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Showtime
Audrey Enjoli
Updated:
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Comedian Rosie O'Donnell has released a statement regarding the recent arrest of her daughter, Chelsea, who is currently in police custody on charges related to obstructing an officer, bail jumping, and drug possession.

“Chelsea is in the news today,” Rosie O'Donnell, 62, wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday alongside a picture of the 27-year-old holding a baby.

“This is a photo from a better time,” added the former “View” co-host.

“Sadly this is not new for our family - chelsea has struggled with drug addiction for a decade,” the television personality continued. “We r all hopeful she will find her way out of this deadly disease.”

Chelsea O'Donnell has four children—Skylar Rose, 5; Riley, 3; Avery Lynn, 2; and Atlas, who celebrates his first birthday later this month.

She was initially arrested last month in Marinette County, Wisconsin, on suspicion of felony counts of maintaining a drug trafficking place, neglecting a child, and possession of methamphetamine, according to court records obtained by Fox 11 News.

“Ms. O‘Donnell appeared before a court official on or about September 18, 2024, at which time a $2,000 cash bond was set with [the] condition that Ms. O’Donnell not possess or consume any illegal substances,” reads the criminal complaint.

Chelsea O'Donnell was released later that month after posting bail. However, on Oct. 11, the mom of four found herself in trouble with the law again after being pulled over by police while driving in Oconto County, Wisconsin.

“Chelsea was visibly nervous, shaking, and her forehead was covered in sweat,” Sgt. Brad Shearer of the Oconto Police Department wrote in his report.

“I asked Chelsea if there were illegal drugs in the vehicle. Chelsea stated she wasn’t sure if there was or not. I asked Chelsea for proof of insurance and registration and she stated she did not have insurance info as it was not her vehicle.”

In his report, Shearer stated that Chelsea O'Donnell allegedly tried to dispose of a meth pipe before being patted down. Three used needles were also found in the vehicle during the traffic stop, which the 27-year-old said belonged to the male passenger in the vehicle.

Chelsea O'Donnell was transported to Bellin Health Oconto Hospital and Medical Center where a meth pipe, methamphetamine, and various pills were allegedly found on her body.

Following her arrest, she was booked into the Oconto County Jail at about 12:10 a.m. on charges of possessing meth and drug paraphernalia. She was also charged with obstructing an officer and bail jumping, having allegedly failed to meet the stipulations of her $2,000 bond.

According to the department’s current inmate roster, available via the Oconto County Sheriff’s Office’s mobile app, Chelsea O'Donnell is still being held in the county jail.

The Epoch Times reached out to Rosie O'Donnell’s representative for additional comment. Her publicist, Cindi Berger, sent over the same statement the comedian penned to her Instagram account.

Rosie O'Donnell adopted Chelsea in 1997 shortly after her birth. The actress is also the adoptive mother of daughters Vivienne, 21, and Dakota, 11, as well as two sons Parker, 29, and Blake, 24.

The comedian and her eldest daughter have had a strained relationship for years. In August 2015, the then-17-year-old disappeared after leaving her mother’s home in Nyack, New York.

“She left home with her 6-month-old therapy dog named Bear,” Rosie O'Donnell wrote on her website at the time, per ABC News. “Chelsea stopped taking her medicine and is in need of medical attention.”

One week after going missing, Rosie O'Donnell’s daughter was found safe in New Jersey’s Shore Region and returned home by police.

However, the former daytime talk show host later disclosed in a statement provided to People via her publicist that her daughter had chosen to move out shortly after her return home.
“Chelsea made a decision when she turned 18 that she wanted to go to her birth mother,” Berger said at the time. “This was her choice.”