Rosie O’Donnell Reveals She Missed The Birth of Her First Grandchild By Just ‘An Hour’

She got the best Christmas gift last month — her first grandchild! And Rosie O’Donnell has been enjoying every moment of her new life as a “Nana” since then. But during her Wednesday, Jan. 16 Today show appearance, the SMILF star surprisingly revealed that she missed her baby granddaughter’s birth by just an hour!

“It was really trippy, I have to say,” the 56-year-old said of her daughter Chelsea giving birth to a beautiful baby girl named Skylar Rose in mid-December. “She called me from Wisconsin — Chels, my daughter, lives there with her partner Jake — and she called and said, ‘I’m in labor,’ and I got on a plane and I missed the birth by, like an hour. But she’s happy.” Aww!

Rosie’s impromptu journey to the hospital was all worth it once she held the little Skylar Rose in her arms for the first time. “First of all, she has a full head of black hair, like a full… you can do styles with her hair, you know?” the former The View co-host gushed.

And Rosie could not be more thrilled for Chelsea and Jake either. “Just to see my daughter so happy and so, sort of content, and this guy who loves her so much, loving that baby,” she said of her family. “Now she feels, I think a lot of adopted kids feel like until they have their own child, they don’t have that unit to look at someone who looks like them to see genetically that they have their own kind of history, so it was really a very beautiful thing.”

thank u – i was kidding too – i had a nana who lived with us my whole life … i see myself in her a lot – i feel like a nana and i love it pic.twitter.com/2WxlAHMnko

— ROSIE (@Rosie) January 2, 2019

But even though Rosie is over-the-moon about being by Chelsea’s side as she transitions into motherhood, things haven’t always been easy for the mother and daughter duo. Known for having an estranged relationship in the past, the TV personality revealed that the two had recently put their differences aside. “We have reconnected,” Rosie told People in June after confirming her daughter’s pregnancy.

Things previously started to go downhill for Rosie and her daughter after Chelsea ran away from home at age 17. Although she was found unharmed a week later, the then-teenager claimed that she was kicked out of her mother’s home. Whether or not her allegations were legitimate, it understandably damaged the bond they once shared.

Just last year, the new mama spoke about her then-relationship with her adopted mother. “Growing up, I never really got along with her and then once she kicked me out, I was just kind of done,” Chelsea admitted to Inside Edition. Chelsea’s pregnancy with her new boyfriend, Jake, came as a surprise to many considering she claimed to be expecting her first child last September with her ex-husband, Nick Alliegro. The former couple has since split up and Chelsea did not end up giving birth to their supposed baby.

In fact, following her first pregnancy announcement in September 2017, Chelsea admitted to the Daily Mail that she didn’t picture her life as a mom with Rosie playing the role of grandmother. “Rosie will not be in my child’s life,” she said of the child she claimed to be expecting with Nick. “And no, I do not feel sad about that, to be honest.” We’re so happy to see that Rosie and Chelsea have a great relationship today!