Rosie O’Donnell is no stranger to star power. Her talk show, The Rosie O’Donnell Show, included appearances from celebrities like Madonna, George Clooney, CélineDion, and TomCruise.
The most surprising guest O’Donnell had on her show might come as another surprise.
“I would say DeltaBurke,” she told Peoplein an interview. “Delta Burke was so kind and so nice and so funny. And she’s the only person in the history of the show who said to me, ‘What are you doing tonight for dinner?’ And I said, ‘It’s just me and my kid. We’re going to probably order in Chinese food.”
Burke became a breakout star from the sitcomDesigning Women. She appeared on the talk show in 1996. O’Donnell remembered how kind the actress was.
“She’s like, ‘Could I come over? I have nothing to do,’” she recalled. “And so, Delta Burke and I hung out with my kid, eating Chinese food from Ollie’s in New York. And I just thought that was so unbelievable that she was so gregarious and connected and sweet. And it was just a calm, loving night at home.”
The 64-year-old comedian was the host of The Rosie O’Donnell Show, which aired from 1996 to 2002. The series won five Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Talk Show during its run.
She recalled BarbraStreisand and MartinShort as other memorable guests. O’Donnell admitted she is a huge fan of Streisand and called her “the biggest star of my life.” While Short was the “best guest.”
“The best guest is Martin Short. Because all you have to do to Martin Short is to say, ‘Hi, Marty’ and then he’ll make you die laughing. He’s one of the nicest guys in showbiz too,” she said.
O’Donnell has returned to New York after moving to Ireland in 2025 for a new one-woman show, Common Knowledge. The Off-Broadway performance shares the story of the family she grew up with in Commack, Long Island, and her time raising five kids.
This story was originally published by Parade on Jul 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the Celebs section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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