Not So Rosy

Rosie O’Donnell’s Alleged Affair Sparks Custody Battle

Trolled by Trump and now accused of unwittingly causing trouble in a friend’s custody battle, it’s not easy being Rosie O’Donnell this week.

Rosie O’Donnell’s having quite a week.

The former View co-host was trolled by Donald Trump on Thursday—the president bizarrely resurfaced a tweet from December in which O’Donnell called for former FBI Director James Comey to be fired, with the comment: “We finally agree on something Rosie”—and now she is being accused of unwittingly causing trouble in a friend’s bitter custody battle.

It’s been reported for some time now that Rosie has been dating married former Broadway actress Dana Caruso Schiff, whose husband, billionaire investment banker David ‘Scott’ Schiff, filed for divorce in March 2016.

Although Rosie’s people have consistently denied the story, rumors of a relationship have refused to go away, and the pair have been seen eating at Nobu—with one dinner, at which another friend and Rosie’s son were also present, even being posted on Instagram.

And the alleged relationship is now reportedly stirring up a troublesome custody battle for Schiff, who has appeared in Broadway shows such as Cats and Les Miserables, as she goes through a divorce with her husband.

According to Page Six, sources say Scott is “concerned about” his children “being around Rosie.”

Scott is said to be particularly concerned by disturbing accounts of Rosie’s troubled relationship with her adopted 19-year-old daughter, Chelsea.

In a shocking interview with DailyMail.com two weeks ago, Chelsea accused Rosie of being verbally abusive and nearly attacking her with a wine bottle.

The incident sparked Chelsea’s exit from the family home in August 2015, after which O’Donnell reported her missing. She was found at the home of an alleged heroin user.

“Since I was 12, Rosie has been verbally abusive and that was something I didn’t like, making me feel that there was something wrong with me,” Chelsea said, adding that Rosie drunkenly tried to pull off her clothes to see a tattoo she had secretly had done and installed spyware on her phone.

“Chelsea is mentally ill,” Rosie told The Daily Mail in response to Chelsea’s allegations this month. “[She] has been in and out of hospitals most of her life. Born addicted to heroin. She has had a tough road.”

Rosie added: “As a mother, my request is that you not pay her and leave her alone. It is comforting to know she is still alive, so thank you for that part.”

Caruso and Schiff were married in November 2003.

She had appeared on Broadway but quit the stage to become a full-time mom.

The former View host is godmother to Dana’s daughter, Plum.

But a source close to Rosie denied the rumors of an affair, telling Page Six, “Rosie and Dana have been friends for [more than] a dozen years, Dana and Scott have known Rosie’s daughter Chelsea since she was 7. There’s no truth to any of the other claims here.”

Reps for the other parties didn’t respond, Page Six said.

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Tom SykesEuropean Editor at Large

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