I had a unique opportunity today. I was invited to participate in a teleconference with Rosie O'Donnell. The primary topic of conversation was her upcoming appearance on Who Do You Think You Are that will be broadcast on NBC on February 18. I don't know the exact number of people in the teleconference but am guessing it was about a dozen or so with several genealogy authors in attendance along with reporters from the media.
Below are my notes taken in a hurry. I don't type fast enough to make word-for-word transcriptions but I believe these notes are close to what was said. Questions are shown, followed by Rosie's comments that appear in quotations.
You have been out of television spotlight for a bit. Why did you decide to participate in Who Do You Think You Are?
"I watched the show and was impressed. Since I knew Lisa Kudrow and I also was interested in my mother's family about whom I know so little."
What was the most revealing thing you found about your family background?
"It was the amount of suffering they endured."
In response to another question, Rosie mentioned that she will soon be doing a new "Rosie" show on the Oprah Winfrey Network. It will be a very different format from her old show, however.
In response to another question:
"My mother died of cancer in 1973 at the age of 39 when I was still a child."
How did learning about your ancestry help you?
"I never knew anything about my family so I took this journey with my brother Ed. It definitely changed my view of my own childhood, my own family, and what I could share with my children."
Is there any chance you are going to be on the tour again in the future?
"There is a chance of my playing in Annie on Broadway. I enjoy live performance most of all forms of entertainment so I hope to do so. However, it won't be any time soon."
Your father immigrated from Ireland. Did your father or mother instill any traditions?
"We did only my mother's side and she was an only child. All we did was my mother's Irish heritage. I didn't know anything about my mother's heritage and what her family endured to get here."
Where did you have to travel, did you do the research or was it done for you?
"My brother Ed is the oldest of the five children so he recalled whatever he could plus I added in what I could remember. We went to several different countries and ended up in Ireland, as you might guess from the name O'Donnell."
Why did you decide to go with your mother's side?
"I new a little about my father and his family but nothing at all about my mother's side. What we found was rather shocking and revealed things about Irish history that I was unaware of. It changed my perception of myself."
In response to another question:
"After my mother died in 1973, nobody ever mentioned her again. This recent experience with Who Do You Think You Are really helped me learn more about her, especially through the eyes of a woman. It got to me emotionally. I'm really happy that I did it. I now feel closer to her and now understand more about her life."
What do you think viewers will take away from this?
"They will see how rewarding it is for themselves. I think this will encourage people to go to Ancestry.com and start their own search for themselves. I thought the story would be boring but it turned out to be the exact opposite. I think the show will encourage others to do the same. I never expected this to have the impact it had on my life."
After a question about Rosie's mother dying of cancer when Rosie was a child:
"The bottom line is that everyone has a primal connection. When severed, it becomes a wound. This experience helped me understand my mother better."
With the genealogy information you found, was homosexuality a part of the family story?
"No, I didn't find anything that indicated that. I didn't find any record of any gays. Of course, we don't know how well that would have been recorded years ago, so who knows? We found lots of Irish Catholics who got married and had lots of children."
In response to other questions:
"The story opened my heart in a way I never expected."
"It was hard and it was painful but it was also very revealing."
"I think all the show episodes are fascinating to watch but I didn't think there was much of interest in my family tree. It gave me knowledge of my Mom that I never had before. I feel thankful and grateful that I had the opportunity to do this."
"I did learn about my grandfather and his family and found some surprises I never knew about."
How much do you think about learning about your roots will shape what you will become?
"I don't think it is what you will become as much as who you are already. I thought I had a difficult childhood. After learning what my mother and her family went through, I found that I actually had it rather easy. It was pretty amazing to me."
"I do get back to Long Island occasionally to visit friends and my brother Ed but I don't have any other family left there so I don't get back as often as I might."
Did you worry about sharing too much information about your personal life?
"I worried about that at first but this is not a scandal-driven show. They are not looking for bad things. It turned out to be a non-issue."
What sort of records did you use?
"Everything from photographs to immigration records to work records and more. It was very impressive what they found. If it had not been for these professional genealogists, I am not sure I would have found all that myself."
While your mother's name was never mentioned again after she passed away, how did this search affect you and your family?
"All of us are close to 50 years old and the five of us have never had a conversation about our mother. My brother Ed and I alone now have had several conversations about her since this recent experience and we are now able to talk about her."
About your humanitarian spirit: How much of this do you think you inherited from your mom?
"A lot. I remember as a child her always packing up old clothes and taking them to St. Vincent de Paul to give to less fortunate people. I suspect her concerns for less privileged people was passed on to me."
"There was a story that hung in the den in our house that nobody ever spoke about. We found out who the woman was and the story was shocking. The woman died a rather tragic death. I was really shocked to find out about the mystery woan was in our house."
