Rosie O'Donnell reacted on Tuesday to the sexual misconduct allegations against Eric Swalwell in a TikTok video, saying the news left her heartbroken and distrustful. The comedian and actor said she had donated to one of his campaigns, had spoken with him by phone a couple of times and felt personally shaken by the accusations.
“Now can we talk a little bit about Eric Swalwell?” O'Donnell said, before adding, “And then all this comes out about him, and it's heartbreaking to me.” She said she wrote him a message that read, “You know, Bill Clinton broke my heart, and now you did too.”
O'Donnell went further, saying, “You know the conclusion I've come to? Men suck.” She also argued that men cannot control their “sexual urges” and said, “And boy, that Eric Swalwell. You know, teaches you not to believe in anyone.”
The reaction landed after a fast-moving collapse for Swalwell, a former Democratic congressman and California gubernatorial candidate. He said on Sunday that he would suspend his campaign for governor in California, then said on Monday that he would resign from Congress amid multiple sexual misconduct allegations.
The accusations against Swalwell include claims that he drugged and raped one woman and sexually assaulted one of his staffers. The allegations have triggered at least two local criminal investigations, and Swalwell has denied all the claims while also admitting to making mistakes.
O'Donnell’s comments also pointed back to the distance between her public life and private one. She fled the United States after President Donald Trump was elected in 2024 and now lives in Ireland, though she said in February that she had been back in the U.S. for two weeks and had not told anyone. Her latest remarks suggest she is still willing to speak sharply about political figures she once supported, especially when they fall under the weight of accusations that have already moved beyond politics and into criminal investigations.
