O'Donnell Says ABC Blocked Epstein Survivors Segment

Rosie O'Donnell said ABC blocked her planned segment featuring Jeffrey Epstein survivors during her week as guest host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! in August, prompting her to film the encounter herself and release it on Instagram on Sept. 3. O'Donnell described the decision in an appearance on The Jann Arden Podcast, saying she had proposed devoting her final night behind the desk to what she called an Epstein reveal. "My idea for the last night was to do the Epstein reveal," O'Donnell said, "and they said that they were certain that could not happen." She said she responded by deciding to produce the segment independently. "So I said I would do it myself and just put it out on my own social media," she told the podcast hosts. O'Donnell guest hosted four episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live! during the week of Aug. 17. She said she contacted a survivor advocate and assembled a group of women within days, filming the video in a few hours. In the footage, the survivors, dressed in white, joined O'Donnell in singing Helen Reddy's 1972 song "I Am Woman." Sources differ on whether the video featured seven or eight survivors, though O'Donnell has referred to eight women in her podcast remarks.