KELLI SPEAKS

Rosie’s spouse chats about the cruise and the limelight

by Bradley David Williams

While more inclined to work behind the scenes, Kelli O’Donnell has recently become a very visible figure in the gay and lesbian community. After making her marriage to Rosie O’Donnell official earlier this year in San Francisco, she sat down for a nationally televised interview with Barbara Walters, in which she discussed life as the spouse of one of the world’s most famous lesbians. In a recent phone interview, O’Donnell spoke with me about this summer’s R Family Vacations cruise and her somewhat reluctant foray into the media spotlight. 

Bradley David Williams:  So was it Rosie’s original idea to organize a cruise for gay families?

Kelli O’Donnell: Well, I think that the idea has been around for a long time. I think that a lot of different [gay travel] companies had the idea, but they didn’t have the celebrity power and the financial means … I mean, an idea is really nothing if you can’t pull everything else together. I don’t want to say that it was an original idea by any means, but she had the ability to fund it and to start the company.

B.W.: Did your recent appearance on 20/20 with Barbara Walters result in a lot of interest in the company?

K.O.: [Laughs] Well, needless to say, there’s been a tremendous response since then. Bookings are going really well. People are very interested in the company, and if they’re not booking on this trip, they want to know that the company will be around long-term. Maybe they want to go next year. Maybe they want to do a land-based program, like a ski trip or a different kind of trip. The feedback has been tremendous. It’s also interesting to see the number of straight people that want to come on the cruise—like friends and family of gay people.

B.W.: Have you had many singles booking?

K.O.: Not a ton, but we have had a few. We have some single parents bringing their kids on board. There seems to be a lot of people that just want to go on the trip—especially men—who are looking for a vacation that’s not so party-intensive and cruisy. They’re just looking to go on a gay trip that’s going to be more about eating out and the entertainment and the comedy and all the great things that’ll be on board and having a really great time.  

B.W.: Will Rosie be performing throughout the cruise?

K.O.: Well, she’s going to host opening night. We are bringing other entertainers on board so she can actually enjoy the vacation. You know, we’ll see. If there’s a microphone nearby, who knows … [laughs].

B.W.: And your parents, who were so great on 20/20, are going on the cruise, right?

K.O.: My parents are going. Actually, my sister, her husband, my two brothers and their wives and kids are all going.  

B.W.: It’s amazing, because as the 20/20 segment revealed, it wasn’t that long ago that they were staging an intervention to try and “cure” you of your homosexuality, and now they’re being interviewed by Barbara Walters and going on the gay cruise.

K.O.: I know. They’ve come a long way, needless to say.

B.W.: Has your life, personally, changed much since the 20/20 appearance?

K.O.: I’ve gotten a lot of really positive feedback. I still can go around and nobody really knows who I am unless I’m with Ro. So I still have a bit of anonymity left. You know, I also had on so much makeup on the Barbara Walters show, nobody recognizes me in my normal life [laughs]. My life really hasn’t changed that much. I’m glad I did it, I’m glad it’s over with, and it is my last one. I will never do it again. It’s too much stress for me. I’ll leave the public part to Ro. I’m happier behind the scenes. That’s where I feel most comfortable.

B.W.: I think a lot of people were impressed with how eloquent you were. We’ve been seeing your picture in the tabloids all these years, but we had never heard you speak. But you don’t see yourself as being a major figure in the gay community or being a role model or a leader or any of those things?

K.O.: No, it’s just, it’s not really my … It’s not what I do. I’m happy to do what I can, like speak at an event. Maybe, every now and then, but it’s not what I do well and it’s not really what I’m drawn to do. It gives me more anxiety than happiness, so I try to stick with what makes me happy. I’ll let Ro speak and be the public figure, and I will stand by her all the way, but it’s just not where I feel most comfortable.

B.W.: You grew up in Louisiana, but you have some Texas ties, right?

K.O.: I went to college [SMU] in Dallas. My sister lives in Dallas. I actually was there when the Barbara Walters thing aired. And my best friend from high school lives in Houston. He’s actually the guy I talked about in the Barbara Walters interview [she went to her first gay bar with him on the night of her debutante ball]. So, yep, I’m a big fan of Texas, aside from the fact that the Bushes are from there [laughs].

B.W.: Will this cruise become an annual event?

K.O.: I hope so. I’m not sure we’ll do the same cruise every year. We may do a different ship or a different itinerary. But, yes, I hope we have a summer cruise every year. But this one, the first one, is going to go out with all the bells and whistles. Ro is really excited about it and wants to really make it the biggest event of the year. So I tell people, if they’re interested in coming on one of our trips, the first one will be big!

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