Rosie O’Donnell explains why she finally went public about secret facelift

Rosie O’Donnell has opened up on why she decided to go public with her recent face lift.

The comedian announced that she’d had the procedure in a very candid Substack post last month.

In the post, O’Donnell, 64, explained that she used to feel ‘strongly’ about facelifts because she thought it was a ‘betrayal’ of feminism and aging.

However, her views changed on facelifts after she shed 50 pounds.

"It wasn't wrinkles – it was gravity," O'Donnell penned. "I'd look in the mirror and think – this isn't aging, this is melting with intention."

O'Donnell had the procedure in January and was operated on by a doctor who friends of hers had used.

She went on to write: "I don't own anyone any explanation but its feels familiar; the sense of deceit I'm struggling with."

Rosie O'Donnell had a face lift at the beginning of the year (Kristina Bumphrey/WWD via Getty Images)

With this in mind, O'Donnell said she wanted to 'come clean' about it because she 'never liked secrets'.

The Now and Then star has since shared more insight in why she decided to go public about the facelift.

"Authenticity is the goal in these days and times," she told E! News at the 2026 Tony Awards. "And I think all that matters is truth and love, and so I wanted to be truthful and say all the complicated emotions I had about it."

O'Donnell also revealed how her daughter reacted to her wanting to do the surgery done.

"My little autistic 13-year-old said to me, 'If you do it, I would not be able to respect you ever again,'" O'Donnell said. "And that put me off it for a few months, but then when I went and did it in January, I came home 10 days later, and they never noticed."

Kids, ey?

The comedian seen before her face lift in October 2025 (James Wiltshire/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Like O'Donnell, celebrities are becoming increasingly more transparent about going under the knife.

One person who seemingly got the ball rolling on it all was Kylie Jenner when she helped someone's TikTok go viral by commenting on it last year and shared the details of her boob job.

This particular TikToker had said she was considering getting the same surgery but wanted to know the details of Jenner's prodecure.

The mom-of-two replied to the video: "445 cc, moderate profile, half under muscle!!!!! Silicone!!! Garth Fisher!!! Hope this helps lol."

A few months later, Olympian Simone Biles followed suit and revealed that she'd had three different plastic surgeries, one being a lower blepharoplasty.