Rosie O’Donnell is speaking out after her daughter was charged with felony child neglect and drug possession charges.
Last month, the 62-year-old comedian’s eldest daughter, Chelsea Belle O’Donnell, was arrested and booked into jail in Wisconsin after police carried out a search warrant, according to court records viewed by PEOPLE.
The mom of four, 27, was first booked into jail on Sept. 10 in Marinette County, where her Amberg home is located, and released later that month after posting a $2,000 bond, jail records show.
She was later booked into Oconto County Jail on Oct. 11, where she remains in custody.
Following her initial arrest in Marinette County, Chelsea was charged with multiple felony counts: neglecting a child, possession of methamphetamine and maintaining a drug trafficking place, according to court records viewed by PEOPLE.
She was also charged with four misdemeanors, including possession of THC, drug paraphernalia and illegally obtained prescription drugs, as well as disorderly conduct.
On Oct. 11, Chelsea was also charged again in Oconto County, where she now faces felony counts of possession of methamphetamine, possession of narcotic drugs and bail jumping, plus misdemeanor counts of resisting or obstructing an officer and possession of drug paraphernalia.
She is due to appear in court on Nov. 4 and Nov. 7, according to court records.
After news of Chelsea’s arrest began circulating online, Rosie — who adopted Chelsea with ex-wife Kelli Carpenter when she was a baby — shared a statement about the situation on her Instagram.
Alongside an old selfie of Chelsea, the comedian wrote, “Chelsea is in the news today — this is a photo from a better time,» before sharing the same statement the O’Donnell family provided to PEOPLE.
«Sadly, this is not new for our family,» the family stated. «Chelsea has struggled with drug addiction for a decade — we are all hopeful she will find her way out of this deadly disease.»
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Rosie and Chelsea were estranged on and off throughout Chelsea’s teenage and early adulthood years. In August 2015, Rosie announced that the then-teen had gone missing from their New York home. After she was found a week later, Chelsea moved to Wisconsin to live with her birth mother.
The TV personality and her eldest daughter later reconnected in 2018 after Chelsea welcomed her first child, with Rosie saying on The Talk that their relationship being tested did make it stronger.
“She’s doing better now and we’re both communicating with each other,” the comedian said of Chelsea at the time. “When somebody does something unforgivable to you and you can forgive them and they can forgive you, there’s a kind of grace that descends upon the both of you, within that.»
Chelsea is now a mom to four: daughters Skylar Rose, born December 2018; Riley, born January 2021; Avery Lynn, born February 2022; and son Atlas, born October 2023.
Rosie, meanwhile, has five children: Parker, 29, Chelsea, Blake, 24, Vivienne, 21, and Dakota, 11.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
