The Tragedy Of Rosie O'Donnell's Daughter Chelsea Is So Sad

The following article discusses drug addiction, mental illness, and child neglect.

Chelsea O'Donnell has lived a complicated life. For starters, Rosie O'Donnell and her daughter have had a rocky relationship since the girl was a child. Chelsea, one of the four children Rosie and her first wife Kelli Carpenter adopted together, joined the family as a baby in 1997. She has claimed Rosie began being verbally abusive during her childhood and even turned violent a few times. Amid her personal issues coupled with what she was experiencing at home, Chelsea ran away shortly before her 18th birthday.

After she was found, Chelsea opted to move in with her birth mother instead of returning home to Rosie. But distancing herself from her famous mother did little to mitigate her ups and downs. Through the years, Chelsea has struggled with drug addiction, which authorities believe interfered with her ability to care for her four children. Rosie has contended Chelsea suffered heroin withdrawals as a baby as a result of her birth mother's addiction.

In 2024, Chelsea was arrested three times and charged with a host of drug-related charges, including possession and using her home as a drug trafficking space. She was also accused of neglecting her infant son by failing to provide a clean and safe home for him. But according to Rosie, drug addiction isn't the only illness behind Chelsea's troubled life. She has long claimed her daughter suffers from a mental health condition, though Chelsea denies it. Chelsea hasn't been dealt an easy hand — and she continues to struggle with it.

Chelsea O'Donnell never saw a loving motherly figure in Rosie O'Donnell. While their relationship didn't become seriously strained until her late teens, she claimed issues started much earlier. "Growing up, I never really got along with her," she told Inside Edition in 2017. Their differences became a bigger problem as Chelsea approached adolescence. "Since I was 12, Rosie has been verbally abusive and that was something I didn't like, making me feel that there was something wrong with me," she told the Daily Mail in 2017.

Chelsea has accused Rosie of behavior going beyond verbal abuse on occasion. When Rosie went to Chelsea's Utah boarding school to discuss misbehavior issues, they got into a fight that reportedly turned physical. "She got really close to me. I tried to push her away from me and she hit me. We started fighting more until she was asked to leave," Chelsea said. She claimed Rosie later apologized for her behavior, saying she regretted laying her hands on Chelsea.

But that wasn't the only time. When the teen got the word "Breathe" tattooed on her side a few months before her 18th birthday in May 2015, her mother was purportedly enraged. "She asked me to take off my clothes — she didn't know where it was — to show her and I refused," Chelsea said. "She picked up a wine bottle and started chasing me, trying to take off my clothes." Their relationship took a major downturn from there.

In August 2015, three months after the tattoo incident, Chelsea O'Donnell ran away from home with her therapy dog, Bear. She was found a week later at the home of 25-year-old Steven Sheerer, who was arrested for his role in the disappearance of the minor, CNN reported. Police also found cellphone communication deemed inappropriate between the adult and the teenager, leading Sheerer to be charged with distribution of obscenity to a minor in addition to endangerment.

Instead of returning home, Chelsea went to Wisconsin to live with her birth mother, Deanna Micoley. "Chelsea made a decision when she turned 18 that she wanted to go to her birth mother," Rosie's publicist told E! News. "This was her choice." Chelsea was days from her birthday when she ran away. In the 2017 Inside Edition interview, she claimed Rosie told her not to return after she turned up at Sheerer's house. "Once she kicked me out, I was just kind of done," she said. Rosie denied kicking her out.

The relationship between them became even more publicly strained from there. Rosie was particularly hurt when she found out Chelsea had married Nick Alliegro in the summer of 2016. "She was upset that we got married without telling her, which I totally get," Alliegro told Inside Edition. They reconnected after Chelsea became pregnant with her first child in 2018. "She's doing better now and we're both communicating with each other," Rosie said on "The Talk" (via People).

Chelsea O'Donnell went through a troubled time in late 2024. In September, she was arrested and charged with neglect of a child, maintaining a drug trafficking place, and possession of drugs and paraphernalia in Wisconsin, according to a criminal complaint. She was released after posting a $2,000 bond but was arrested again in a different county in October. The mother of four faced similar charges of possession in addition to bail jumping, Entertainment Weekly reported.

The child neglect charges were brought on after police saw the condition of Chelsea's Wisconsin home when they responded to a call regarding a disturbance between Chelsea and her boyfriend, Jacob Nelund, InTouch Weekly reported. They found her 11-month-old son among crack pipes, poop, and garbage. "Under a baby crib, I located a black and silver digital scale, some used gem bags with white residue, and a sharps container that had more used and unused hypodermic needles," the reporting officer noted.

Chelsea's birth mother bailed her out. However, she was arrested a third time in November. The charges were once again similar to the previous ones, People reported. Chelsea pleaded not guilty to the charges stemming from her first arrest. She was released again after she struck a deal with prosecutors that involved her entering a month-long treatment program, InTouch Weekly reported. She was picked up by her birth mother. As part of her agreement, Chelsea had to return to jail after completing her rehab. 

Rosie O'Donnell has attributed Chelsea O'Donnell's troubles to drug addiction. After Chelsea was arrested the second time, Rosie shared a photo of Chelsea to Instagram to address the news. "Chelsea has struggled with drug addiction for a decade — we r all hopeful she will find her way out of this deadly disease," she captioned the post. When her daughter was rearrested in October, Rosie once again attributed her behavior to her issues with drugs.

"Chelsea was arrested again — and is facing many charges related to her drug addiction — we all hope she is able to get the help she needs," she captioned the Instagram post in response to a reporter's request for comment. In a TikTok video, Rosie thanked those who shared their difficulties with a loved one who is facing addiction. "Thank you for making me feel less alone," she said. Police reports from Chelsea's string of arrests seemingly confirm Rosie's claims.

During Chelsea's first arrest, officers found a pipe with methamphetamine residue in her pocket, according to the InTouch Weekly report. After some pressing, Chelsea also handed over a vial she had in her bra containing meth. Police also noted her pupils were dilated. "[She was] sweating profusely and very jittery," the officer reported. Police concluded Chelsea and her boyfriend were addicts. "It appeared Jacob [Nelund] and Chelsea were more concerned with their drug addiction than providing [the baby] with a safe and clean environment," the police report claimed.

After Chelsea O'Donnell ran away, Rosie O'Donnell noted her daughter suffered from an undisclosed mental health condition for which she needed medication. "Chelsea, like millions of people, lives with mental illness. It has been a difficult road for Chelsea and her family," Rosie's publicist told ET. Rosie also showed concern over the interruption of her treatment. "Chelsea stopped taking her medicine and is in need of medical attention," she wrote in a statement shared to her website.

Rosie has also claimed that Chelsea's erratic behavior stems partly from her issues with her mental health. "Chelsea is mentally ill, has been in and out of hospitals most of her life, born addicted to heroin — she has had a tough road," she told the Daily Mail in response to Chelsea's scathing 2017 interview. However, Chelsea denied suffering from a mental illness. "[Rosie] is a cruel narcissistic vengeful woman who doesn't care for anyone but herself," she told the outlet in response.

According to Chelsea, she discovered that she suffers from a brain lesion. Her condition was diagnosed in January 2017, after she began experiencing splitting headaches the previous year. Her mother was aware of it, given she was the one who arranged for Chelsea to undergo brain scans after previous MRIs came back normal. "Rosie had me get a different brain scan at a hospital in Connecticut in January. That's when they found a lesion on my brain," she told the Daily Mail.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction or mental health issues, contact the relevant resources below:

• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
• The Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.