Why Wynonna Judd Is ‘in Shock’ Over Friend Rosie O’Donnell’s Comments About Her Political Beliefs (Exclusive)

Rachel DeSantis, Eric AnderssonFri, October 2, 2026 at 1:00 PM UTC

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Wynonna Judd; Rosie O’DonnellCredit: Cedrick Jones; Allison Michael Orenstein -

Wynonna Judd says Rosie O’Donnell’s claim that she supports President Donald Trump is a “complete assumption”

The longtime friends have never discussed politics, according to the Grammy-winning singer

Judd’s first album in a decade, The Hard Truth, is out now

Wynonna Judd is setting the record straight on the politically charged conversations she’s had — or rather, hasn’t had — with longtime friend Rosie O’Donnell.

O’Donnell, 64, said in August that Judd, 62, is the only supporter of President Donald Trump in her life that she still speaks to. But in this week’s cover story, Judd clarified that the comedian’s comments were “100%” an assumption about her political beliefs.

“I’m in shock, just so you know,” she says of hearing O’Donnell’s comments. “I’ve never spoken to her about politics in my life. She doesn’t know anything about my stuff. I’m an independent.”

The Grammy winner — whose deeply personal new album The Hard Truth is out now — adds that she makes it a point to not “discuss” politics — and that she’s “not angry” about the situation, just slightly confused.

Rosie O’Donnell and Wynonna Judd in New York in November 2002.Credit: Sylvain Gaboury/FilmMagic

“I don’t know where it came [from]. It’s complete assumption,” she says. “I heard it and I went, ‘What the…?’ I don’t ever remember talking to her about this, so she’s just assuming.’ I just don’t want drama. So if there’s going to be drama [about it], I’m like, ‘Oh for crap’s sake, there’s so much going on right now in the world. Can we just love each other?’”

O’Donnell appeared on The Tangle podcast in August, and said Judd was the exception when it came to keeping Trump supporters in her life. O’Donnell has been outspoken for years in her disdain for the president, and has even said that he partially inspired her recent move from the U.S. to Ireland.

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“I am friends with Wynonna Judd, who I love very much, and I’ve known her for many, many years. And she is a supporter of Trump. And somehow we never bring it up,” O’Donnell said. “I kind of give her a grace in a way. She’s had so much in her life, with her mom taking her own life, and just the complicated nature of her upbringing. And I really love her and I care about her and for some reason I’m able to put that aside when we interact.”

The pair have been friends for many years, and Judd appeared several times on O’Donnell’s daytime talk show in the 1990s.

Politics aside, Judd is focused on the release of her new album, her first in a decade and the first since her mother Naomi’s death in 2022. She co-wrote nine of the 10 tracks with her husband, Cactus Moser, who also produced the record.

“Raw and real is what this album is,” she says. “I feel like this is the most honest and vulnerable I’ve ever been,” she says. “It’s there for everyone to hear. So there are some days I think, ‘Oh my God, what have I done?’ And then other days I think, ‘There comes a point in your life when you are ready to tell your testimony.’ ”

“I don’t discuss it, and I don’t know where it came [from]. It’s complete assumption.”

For more on Wynonna Judd, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”