Rosie O’Donnell is visiting “Red Table Talk: The Estefans” on Wednesdays, and a sneak peek at the episode features the former host of “The Rosie O’Donnell Show” and “The View” reflecting on publicly coming out as gay in 2001.
In the preview (above), O’Donnell admitted she didn’t experience anywhere near the repercussions felt by Ellen DeGeneres when she came out more than a decade earlier, in part because her admission came in March 2002, when the 9/11 terror attacks were still fresh on everyone’s minds.
“When I came out on TV after 9/11, it was like a blip, nobody even… I was surprised that people thought I was not gay,” O’Donnell told hosts Gloria Estefan, daughter Emily Estefan, and niece Lili Estefan.
“I went to a comedy club and I was doing standup and I’m like, ‘I’m gay. Listen, 9/11 happened, I’m gay. I’m telling you all, I’m gay. In case the buildings blow up again, I’m so, so gay,’ you know?” she explained.
The full episode will premiere on Facebook Watch on Wednesday, October 14.
