Rosie O’Donnell has always been open about her love for Tom Cruise. But for years, people misunderstood what she actually meant. The comedian and former talk show host recently sat down with Amy Poehler on the Good Hang podcast and cleared up the confusion once and for all. She said her feelings for the Mission: Impossible star are not romantic or sexual. She just thinks he is a great guy.
O’Donnell, who came out as a lesbian in 2002, said she never wanted to be with Cruise in that way. She just wanted him to do simple things like mow her lawn and bring her iced tea. She joked that she does not want him naked in her bed. She is not interested in the “downtown mechanics,” as she put it.
The 64-year-old comedian has been friends with Cruise for more than 25 years. He has never missed her birthday and sends her a gift every single year. She calls him a “classy guy” and says she will always love him. But she wants everyone to know it is a friendship, not a romance.
Rosie O’Donnell’s Tom Cruise Comments Confused Fans for Years
Back in the 1990s, O’Donnell hosted The Rosie O’Donnell Show. She often talked about her crush on Tom Cruise. She called him “my Tommy” and made it clear she was a huge fan. When Cruise appeared on her show in December 1996, he brought her flowers, hugged her, and kissed her on the cheek. He played along with her jokes and did not seem bothered by her admiration.
But many people did not understand what she really meant. They thought her obsession with Cruise meant she wanted to sleep with him. When she came out as a lesbian in 2002, people were shocked. They pointed to her Cruise comments as proof that she could not be gay.
O’Donnell told Poehler that she did not understand why people were so confused. She said she made it very clear from the start.
“I often said, ‘I don’t want him in bed. I want him to mow my lawn and bring me an iced tea.’ Like that’s what I said. And I didn’t know how much clearer I could be.”
She recalled that when she finally came out, people were surprised. She said, “How the hell are you shocked?” And they would reply, “The Tom Cruise thing.” She responded, “How much clearer did I have to be?”
She Finds Men Attractive But Does Not Want Romance
O’Donnell explained that being a lesbian does not mean she cannot notice when a man is good-looking or talented. She gave a few examples of men she finds attractive but has no desire to be with.
She mentioned Luke Evans, who she recently watched in The Rocky Horror Show on Broadway. She said, “Makes a girl think—gay girl, too”. She joked that she wanted him to come near her so she could smell him. But she quickly added, “I don’t want you naked in my bed—I’m not interested in the downtown mechanics—but I would like you to maybe have lunch with me and get me a lemonade”.
She also talked about Sydney James Harcourt, who played Rum Tum Tugger in Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway. She called him “the sexiest human I’ve ever seen and so unbearably talented”. When he sang to her during her appearance in the show, she felt like a little school girl. But she made it clear that those feelings do not mean she wants to be intimate with him.
“And I still have those feelings but it doesn’t translate into, ‘I would like to be sexually intimate with you.’ Doesn’t go there. Trust me on that.”
She shared another story about meeting a handsome male doctor at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles. He asked her out, and she told him, “News flash, big lesbian, I don’t know if you heard, but been that way since 1970”.
Tom Cruise Has Never Missed Her Birthday in 25 Years
Even though O’Donnell’s feelings for Cruise are not romantic, their friendship has lasted for decades. She has said many times that Cruise is the only person who has never forgotten her birthday.
In a 2021 interview on SiriusXM, she said, “Every year, I think, ‘What a classy guy he is that he has never forgotten my birthday’”. She added that some people tell her it is just his secretary sending the gifts. But she does not believe that.
“I think he knows in early March, ‘Oh, it’s Rosie’s birthday coming up.’ And he sends me something every single year for 25 years.”
In March 2026, O’Donnell posted a photo on Instagram showing a beautiful white bouquet of flowers. She wrote, “For 30 years- yes 30 years- #tomcruise has never missed my birthday”.
She has also received the famous coconut cake that Cruise sends to his celebrity friends. In December 2025, she shared a photo of a holiday card she got from him.
O’Donnell Is Proud to Be a Lesbian
Throughout the podcast, O’Donnell made it clear that she is proud of her identity. She said, “I could never leave the throngs of gay people out in the world, of which I am a member, and proud to be a member”.
She also said she is “100% gay” and has been that way since 1970. She does not want people to question her sexuality just because she admires certain men.
Amy Poehler, who hosted the podcast, agreed with O’Donnell. She noted that conversations about sexuality and gender have changed a lot since the 1990s. She said people used to make things very “binary.” If a woman talked about loving a man, people assumed she wanted to be with him sexually. But Poehler pointed out that attraction can mean different things.
“Do I want to kiss them? Do I want to be them? Or do I want to get their approval?”
Cruise Played Along With Her Crush
Tom Cruise has always been a good sport about O’Donnell’s admiration. When he appeared on her show in 1996, he brought her flowers and gave her a kiss. O’Donnell asked him if her crush scared him. He laughed and said it did not bother him.
She also asked if his then-wife Nicole Kidman knew about her feelings. O’Donnell said she did not want to break up their marriage. She just wanted Cruise to live in her house.
Cruise made several appearances on The Rosie O’Donnell Show before it ended in 2002. Their friendship has continued ever since. O’Donnell has said they do not talk about Scientology, which she has criticized in the past. But she still thinks he is a kind and thoughtful person.
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What Rosie O’Donnell Said About Her Love for Tom Cruise
O’Donnell summed up her feelings in a simple way. She said, “I love Tom Cruise and I will always love Tom Cruise”.
But she wants people to understand that love can take many forms. It does not always mean romance or sex. Sometimes it just means appreciating someone for who they are.
She also joked about what she would actually want from Cruise. She said she would like him to have lunch with her and get her a lemonade. That is the kind of relationship she wants with him. Nothing more, nothing less.
The podcast episode with Amy Poehler came out on August 11, 2026. It has already gotten a lot of attention online. Fans are sharing their thoughts on social media. Many are praising O’Donnell for being so open and honest about her feelings.
Some fans have said they always understood what she meant. Others have admitted they were confused back in the 1990s. But most people seem to appreciate her sense of humor about the whole situation.
O’Donnell’s comments have also sparked conversations about how people view sexuality and attraction. Many have pointed out that it is possible to find someone attractive without wanting to be with them. That is a message that resonates with a lot of people.
Also Read: Mallika Sherawat Says Tom Cruise Has a Crush on Her During ‘The Traitors 2’ Filming
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