Before starting that job, Rosie O’Donnell had one of the most well-liked talk shows at the time and had been in a number of well-known films. Since then, she has dabbled in a wide range of entertainment fields, including magazines, books, and theater. O’Donnell’s relationships have garnered greater attention than those of many other celebrities because she is one of the most prominent lesbians in the entertainment industry.
Former TV executive Kelli Carpenter was O’Donnell’s first wife. Before being married in 2004, the two dated for six years during a time when same-sex unions were not recognized by the federal government. But since a law had just been approved allowing same-sex partnerships in the city, they chose to get married there. In 2004, Carpenter responded to inquiries from fans for ABC News and referred to their decision to fly to San Francisco as a “political statement.” President George W. Bush at the time supported the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have restricted marriage to relationships between men and women. “Why am I not permitted to marry the guy I love while he is? If one of his children or one of his siblings were gay, would he desire the same right for them?” Carpenter posed the query in her ABC Q&A.
Rosie O’Donnell and Kelli Carpenter had four kids together
Rosie O’Donnell and Kelli Carpenter adopted four children throughout their ten years of marriage. According to People, O’Donnell adopted Parker in 1995 while he was still a newborn. Carpenter eventually took over as his second legal guardian, but she had adopted him as a single parent. Chelsea, the second-oldest child, was born in 1997 and was also adopted by the two women. The third-oldest child in the family, Blake, was born in 1999. Finally, they adopted Vivienne, a 2002 baby, together.
Carpenter recognized the reasons why lesbian couples might be reluctant to adopt or start a family while responding to fan questions for ABC in 2004, shortly after she and O’Donnell wed. It’s worthwhile, though. She said, “Any discrimination we have experienced pales in comparison to the joys that children bring to your life.”
O’Donnell and Carpenter also launched a cruise line while they were still wed that catered specifically to queer couples and families. All of their collaborative work, including their wedding, was done in front of the public to demonstrate the “normalcy” of a lesbian relationship. since it is common.
Carpenter said on ABC’s “20/20” in 2004: “I also think it lends a face to what is occurring instead of just, you know, all those gays out there getting married.” “You know what, it’s like that. These are my children, that is myself, and that is my partner. And we’re bringing up joyful, healthy kids.”
Rosie O’Donnell’s first wife, Kelli Carpenter, is remarried
Even if their marriage was perfect, Rosie O’Donnell and Kelli Carpenter divorced in 2007. O’Donnell said in 2010 that they still live as a family of four. Kelli Carpenter got divorced from Rosie O’Donnell in 2007 and remarried a few years later. Carpenter proposed to cabaret singer Anne Steele, according to an article in Us Weekly from 2012. Carpenter announced, “We’re having a picnic barbeque backyard wedding.” Carpenter stated that they were “on excellent terms,” despite Us Weekly’s claim that O’Donnell wouldn’t be attending the wedding. They spent ten years together, three of those as a married pair. However, Carpenter and O’Donnell’s four adopted children did attend.
2013 saw the union of Carpenter and Steele in New York. According to The New York Times, Parker, who was the oldest, led Carpenter down the aisle. In that essay, Steele and Carpenter described how they came to know one another while dancing on a cruise ship in Hawaii. Steele remarked that it was “very fifth grade” when they began holding hands and there was a lot of blushing.
