Rosie and Ellen Chat (Pre-'Lebanese')

With the demise of Rosie O'Donnell's comeback show, it got me thinking about what has changed since her monster hit went off the air in 2002. While OWN's lack of visibility was unquestionably largely to blame, another thing is the rise of Ellen DeGeneres, whose show is quite similar to the whimsical tone that made "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" such a smash. I actually never watched Rosie back then -- the hour wasn't good for me and I'm not a Broadway fan and always liked the "standup" version of Rosie best, so it just wasn't a good match for me -- but I've always wondered if she and Ellen were friendly or not. (If the answer is old news to you, then please forgive me.) So when I found this clip of Rosie reflecting on the time Ellen was on her show, in the lead-up to Ellen's sitcom character (and ultimately herself) coming out, I was tickled to death. Watching two (technically) closeted Hollywood stars dance around the gay topic is certainly one for the ages, and if you're like me, one you need to see now.