Comedian and longtime critic of Donald Trump, Rosie O’Donnell, promoted a demand for a “recount” of the 2024 presidential election, despite President Trump’s historic victory over former Vice President Kamala Harris.
In a post shared to her Instagram Story, O’Donnell amplified a message from influencer Joe Braxton, who alleged that Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk had somehow “hacked and stole the election.” The post claimed Musk manipulated the results and later covered his tracks by deleting evidence and purging those who could expose the alleged scheme through his DOGE efforts.
The claim directly contradicts certified results and independent audits showing that Trump won both the popular vote and all key battleground states, securing an overwhelming victory, especially as the first Republican to win the popular vote in 20 years.
O’Donnell’s amplification of the recount call has drawn attention not only for its baselessness, but also for its irony.
For years, the comedian accused Trump and his supporters of denying the 2020 election results. But now, after Trump decisively defeated Kamala Harris in 2024, it’s O’Donnell herself who appears to be indulging in election denial — something she once vehemently opposed.
Political commentators online were quick to note the reversal. “Rosie O’Donnell is now the election denier,” one user wrote. “She’s become the very thing she once mocked.”
This isn’t the first time O’Donnell has claimed election interference without evidence. In a widely criticized outburst last month, she claimed that Trump had repeatedly “admitted” the elections were rigged and expressed disbelief that “no one does anything about it.”
Observers were quick to point out that Trump was referring to the 2020 election — not the one he just won. The confusion further fueled criticism that O’Donnell’s political commentary has become increasingly erratic and detached from facts.
Since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, O’Donnell has been a loud opponent of his second-term agenda. She recently claimed that the GOP’s signature tax reform and spending bill — dubbed the “Big, Beautiful Bill” by Trump — would lead to mass suffering.
“Millions of people are going to go hungry. Millions of people are going to die,” O’Donnell said during a recent video tirade, offering no evidence for the dramatic claim.
Musk, who acquired X (formerly Twitter) and has become a polarizing public figure in politics, has not been linked to any election irregularities. Federal and state election officials have found no credible evidence of statistically significant fraud favoring Trump in the 2024 election.
Adding to the controversy surrounding her public image, O’Donnell also recently appeared in HBO’s Sex and the City reboot, And Just Like That…, where she played a lesbian nun who has a one-night stand with Miranda Hobbes, portrayed by Cynthia Nixon. The storyline was widely condemned by Catholic groups and religious leaders, who labeled it sacrilegious, offensive, and “deliberately provocative.”
