Rosie O’Donnell speaks out about her daughter Chelsea’s third arrest

Rosie O’Donnell has broken her silence about her daughter Chelsea O’Donnell’s third arrest in three months.

In a statement shared to her Instagram on Tuesday (December 3), the actor confirmed that her daughter, who was adopted by O’Donnell and her ex-wife Kelli Carpenter, was recently arrested.

“So yes this is true — after being bailed out by her birth mother Chelsea was arrested again — and is facing many charges related to her drug addiction,” the 62-year-old comedian wrote, alongside a screenshot of an email she got from a reporter about Chelsea.

“We all hope she is able to get the help she needs to turn her life around,” the actor concluded.

According to court records shared by People on December 3, Chelsea was arrested in Marinette County, Wisconsin, on November 18 on two felony counts of possession of methamphetamine, one felony count of possession of narcotic drugs, and two felony counts of bail jumping.

She’s also facing misdemeanor charges for “resisting or obstructing a police officer, possession of an illegally obtained prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia.” Her preliminary hearing and arraignment is scheduled for December 11.

The incident marks Chelsea’s third time getting arrested. She was first arrested on September 17 and charged with neglecting a child, possession of methamphetamine, maintaining a drug trafficking place, and several other misdemeanor drug charges. She was later released after posting a $2,000 bond.

Chelsea was arrested again on October 11 and booked into Oconto County Jail, where she faced felony charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of narcotic drugs, and bail jumping, in addition to misdemeanor counts of resisting or obstructing an officer and possession of drug paraphernalia.

During a preliminary hearing and arraignment on November 26, Chelsea pleaded not guilty to charges related to her arrest on September 10, according to People. She is expected to go to court on January 27, 2025.

Following the news of Chelsea’s arrests in October, O’Donnell shared a statement from their family and old photo of her daughter “from a better time.”

“Chelsea is in the news today — this is a photo from a better time — here is the family comment,” she wrote, alongside an old selfie of Chelsea with a baby lying on her chest.

“Sadly this is not new for our family — Chelsea has struggled with drug addiction for a decade — we r all hopeful she will find her way out of this deadly disease [sic].”

Over the years, O’Donnell has had a fraught relationship with Chelsea. She went missing from their New York home in 2015, and shortly after was found safe by authorities. She later reportedly relocated to Wisconsin to live with her birth mother.

The A League of Their Own star eventually reconnected with Chelsea following the birth of her first child in 2018, with O’Donnell saying at the time: “She’s doing better now and we’re both communicating with each other.”

In addition to Chelsea, O’Donnell is the mother of four adopted children: Parker, 29, and Blake, 24, Vivienne, 21, and Dakota, 11.

O’Donnell and Carpenter adopted Parker, Chelsea, and Vivienne before their split in 2007. The Now and Then star went on to adopt Dakota with her second wife, Michelle Rounds, who she divorced from in 2015.