Rosie O’Donnell and Wife Finalize Divorce, Custody Issues

The latest saga in comedienne Rosie O’Donnell’s tumultuous love life seems to have been settled peacefully. As many of our readers may recall, O’Donnell wed her partner Kelli Carpenter in San Francisco back in 2004 when then-mayor Gavin Newsom declared same-sex marriages legal.

More than a decade later, O’Donnell has been battling with second wife Michelle Rounds after their marriage broke up. The two have both been seeking custody of the daughter they adopted together. The 53-year-old celebrity and former host of “The View” filed for divorce from Rounds early this year.

The two, who married in 2012, have been battling over custody of the now 2-year-old girl. O’Donnell has four other children.

Both O’Donnell and Rounds publicly expressed relief that the legal battle was over and that the two had reached an agreement to share custody of their daughter. O’Donnell had previously accused her estranged wife of being only interested in custody “for her own gain.” It was not reported what kind of spousal or child support was ultimately awarded.

Rounds said she felt “great” about the outcome. O’Donnell was a bit more dramatic, saying, “There’s peace in the Middle East.” She added that both of them were happy with the outcome.

O’Donnell’s family made yet more news recently when one of her adopted children was reported missing shortly before her 18th birthday. The daughter has reportedly reunited with her birth mother and is now estranged from O’Donnell.

Divorce is rarely a perfectly smooth process. However, when the two people divorcing have animosity and unresolved issues, not to mention considerable assets, the best interests of the children may not always be the first priority. It’s always best if couples can keep their personal disputes from impacting their children and put their kids’ best interests ahead of everything else.

Source: Huffington Post, “Rosie O’Donnell Settles Divorce With Ex-Wife Michelle Rounds,” Brittany Wong, Oct. 26, 2015