When filming began in 1991 for the women’s baseball comedy A League of Their Own, Rosie O’Donnell had recently watched Truth or Dare. Thanks to the documentary, which followed Madonna‘s Blond Ambition World Tour, O’Donnell already knew a few things about her new co-star. One specific detail would cement a lifelong bond between the two.
“I had never met another woman whose mother died and they‘re named after their mother and then when you go to the gravesite, you see your name on the tombstone,” O’Donnell told PEOPLE. “The first thing I said was, ‘My mom died when I was young and I was named after her too,’ and it was like we became sisters at that moment.”
A Shared Loss That Brought Them Together
O’Donnell was 10 when her mother, Roseann Teresa O’Donnell, died from breast cancer. Madonna’s mother, Madonna Louise Ciccone, died from breast cancer when Madonna was five. Both women have spoken about how their mothers’ deaths have affected their lives. O’Donnell’s one-woman show, Common Knowledge, is about her perspective of motherhood without her own mother around.
Praising Madonna’s Parenting
While O’Donnell adopted her first child in 1995, Madonna gave birth to Lourdes (Lola), her first child, a year later. Madonna is now a mother of six, while O’Donnell has five kids. The formerThe View co-host reminisced about what a “phenomenal” mother Madonna is.
“I have to say Madonna has done one hell of a job raising those children,” she said. “She ran a very tight ship and I had a very not tight ship. Her kids, Lola and Rocco, would come over for a playdate when they were little and as soon as she left, I would give them an ice pop and turn on the cartoons. They didn’t get to watch TV. But she’s an amazing mother and those kids are concert pianists and artists and singers.”
This story was originally published by Parade on Jul 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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