Ricki Lake recalls Rosie Donnell’s ‘judgy’ facelift question: ‘Why do you need it?’

Lake recalls O’Donnell’s reaction

Lake, 58, said her close friend Rosie O’Donnell, 64, was initially “a little judgy” about Lake’s 2024 facelift. Speaking on “The Weekend View,” Lake said the two talk often and that O’Donnell would acknowledge her reaction.

Lake said O’Donnell later lost more than 60 pounds with Mounjaro and decided to have a facelift herself. “She looks phenomenal,” Lake said. O’Donnell underwent a deep-plane lift and neck rejuvenation in January 2026 and shared before-and-after photos on Instagram.

O’Donnell explains her decision

In a May 2026 Substack post, O’Donnell said she felt “shameful” about the surgery and described its cost as more than she had ever paid for a car. She also wrote that she had seen the decision as a betrayal of feminism, aging and women.

O’Donnell later said a firm opposition to plastic surgery could feel insincere. She wrote that her body should not belong to an idea, even a good one, and said feminism’s power includes deciding what to do with one’s body and when. In a July interview with People, O’Donnell said excess skin after her weight loss made her face look “sad.” She said she did not want a frozen appearance and described wrestling with her views about feminism and the male gaze before deciding to proceed.

Lake describes her own surgery

Lake wrote that she did not expect the skin to tighten on its own and said she was grateful she took the chance. She also welcomed others speaking openly about their experiences with plastic surgery.