Search Everything in One Place

Explore the web, images, videos, news, and more – all in one place.

Health

Rosie O’Donnell name-drops A-lister who told her to lose 20 pounds on League of Their Own set

Penny Marshall and Rosie O'Donnell posing at the 2009 Passing It On Gala.
Penny Marshall and Rosie O'Donnell posing at the 2009 Passing It On Gala.

"When I look back, I go, 'God, I wish I could have enjoyed the size I was,'" the former talk show host recalled to People.

Rosie O’Donnell claimed late director Penny Marshall urged her to “lose 20 pounds” on the set of “A League of Their Own.”

The former talk show host made the revelation while discussing how her recent 60-pound weight loss has changed her life.

“It’s very strange to just buy a pair of jeans that fit. When I would do late-night, my biggest concern wasn’t my set — it was, did I look fat?” she told People.

Penny Marshall and Rosie O'Donnell posing at the 2009 Passing It On Gala.
Rosie O’Donnell claimed Penny Marshall (seen above with the actress in 2009) told her to “lose 20 pounds.” FilmMagic
Rosie O'Donnell at bat, with Tom Hanks in the background, in
“On ‘League of Their Own,’ Penny Marshall didn’t help by saying, ‘Rosie, I want you to lose 20 pounds,’ ” she recalled in an interview with People. (Pictured: O’Donnell and Tom Hanks.) ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

FOR MORE CELEBRITY NEWS, GET PAGE SIX DAILY DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

“On ‘League of Their Own,’ Penny Marshall didn’t help by saying, ‘Rosie, I want you to lose 20 pounds.’ I’m like, ‘You think I carry it around for fun, Penny?’ ” O’Donnell, 64, recalled.

“When I look back, I go, ‘God, I wish I could have enjoyed the size I was.’ ”

The former “View” host — who began taking Mounjaro to treat her Type 2 diabetes in 2023 — said she feels “much healthier, more powerful in my own physicality,” despite being “the same weight” as she was during the movie.

Rosie O'Donnell and Penny Marshall at
The comedian (seen above with Marshall at an after-party) quipped, “I’m like, ‘You think I carry it around for fun, Penny?’ ” WireImage
Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell with other women balancing books on their heads on a staircase from
O’Donnell (seen above with Madonna) said she wished she would have “enjoyed the size [she] was.” ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

In January, O’Donnell shared her experience filming the cult classic under Marshall, whom the “Flinstones” actress called a “woman’s sports freak” and “feminist.”

“I think she didn’t like to think of herself as a feminist. She was older than me, and I don’t know that she wasn’t an ardent feminist like me,” O’Donnell said on the “We Can Do Hard Things” podcast.

“She was kind of a closeted feminist in some ways. She didn’t necessarily want to have the banner, but she really supported women and women’s sports and women athletes in a way [like] no one else that I had met,” she said.

Penny Marshall presenting an award, standing at a microphone with arms outstretched, wearing a patterned black jacket and glasses.
Marshall (seen above in 2022) passed away in December 2018 from heart disease and diabetes. She was 75. Getty Images
Rosie O'Donnell in a blue suit with a white shirt.
The former talk show host (seen above in June) has been using Mounjaro to lose weight and control her diabetes. GC Images

The “Rosie Show” alum said Marshall “made a profound impact on women’s sports in the history of the United States because of that movie.”

“I mean, I see little kids coming to my door dressed as me [for Halloween], and they don’t know [I’m Doris Murphy],” she added, referring to her character in “A League of Their Own.”

Marshall died at the age of 75 in December 2018 from heart disease and diabetes.

Rosie O'Donnell at bat, with Tom Hanks in the background, in
Rosie O'Donnell at bat, with Tom Hanks in the background, in "A League of Their Own."
Rosie O'Donnell and Penny Marshall at
Rosie O'Donnell and Penny Marshall at "Taboo" after-party
Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell with other women balancing books on their heads on a staircase from
Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell with other women balancing books on their heads on a staircase from "A League of Their Own."
Penny Marshall presenting an award, standing at a microphone with arms outstretched, wearing a patterned black jacket and glasses.
Penny Marshall presenting an award, standing at a microphone with arms outstretched, wearing a patterned black jacket and glasses.
Rosie O'Donnell in a blue suit with a white shirt.
Rosie O'Donnell in a blue suit with a white shirt.
Read full story on Page Six

Related News

More stories you might be interested in.

Top