Of all the many stars Rosie O’Donnell has interviewed, her pick for the worst guest on her show has utterly surprised fans.
The comedian, 63, said it was none other than Keanu Reeves, who is widely regarded as one of Hollywood’s nicest guys.
“It’s not too late to delete this, Rosie,” one commented online after her answer.
Of all the many stars Rosie O’Donnell has interviewed, her pick for the worst guest on her show surprised fans
Highlights
- Rosie O’Donnell appeared on Australian talk show Sam Pang Tonight on Monday, October 13.
- She spoke about her experiences from 'The Rosie O’Donnell Show' that ran from 1996 to 2002.
- She name-dropped Keanu Reeves as the "worst" guest she interviewed back in the day.
Image credits: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images
Rosie O’Donnell appeared on Australian talk show Sam Pang Tonight on Monday, October 13.
During the interview, she reminisced about her past experiences hosting more than 1,000 episodes of The Rosie O’Donnell Show between 1996 and 2002.
Stars like Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts and Britney Spears sat opposite her for interviews back in the day.
Image credits: Craig Barritt/Variety
The Emmy winner said singer Barbra Streisand was “probably” her “favorite” celebrity guest on the show. She then name-dropped Keanu Reeves as one of her “worst.”
“One of the worst, who, I love the guy, but he’s not good on talk shows: Keanu Reeves,” she said, recalling his 1997 interview on her show.
The former talk show host said Keanu Reeves was the “worst” celebrity guest she had on her show
Image credits: Sam Pang Tonight
The longtime TV personality said the Speed star is “so sweet” but was tight-lipped whenever she asked questions.
“He’s so sweet, he looks gorgeous, I love all his movies, but he would not answer a question,” Rosie recalled. “I’d say, ‘So, Keanu, how’s it going? How are you feeling?’ [He’d respond] ‘Good.’”
Image credits: Rosie O'Donnell Show
Rosie eventually had to remind the soft-spoken actor what kind of show he was on.
“We were live. We couldn’t retape. I finally said after three minutes, ‘You know, Keanu, it is a talk show. You have to talk,’” she said.
“I love all his movies, but he would not answer a question,” Rosie said about the Matrix star
Image credits: Sam Pang Tonight
The former talk show host reiterated that Keanu was a “lovely man and a good-hearted guy.” And he managed to redeem himself when he returned in 2001.
“He got the hang of it,” she said.
Rosie went on to say that the “best guest” she had on her show was Martin Short.
“Because you come out and say, ‘How you doing, Marty?’ and it’s over for you,” she said. “He stands up and he goes, ‘I’m here!’ He was the funniest and the nicest guy, so I would say Marty Short was definitely one of the best.”
Image credits: Rosie O'Donnell Show
Fans were surprised by her comments about Keanu, with one saying, “It’s not him, it’s you.”
“Why did she even invite him? It’s no secret he’s not talkative. He’s a quiet gentle person,” another said.
“Now she crossed a line!” one said, while another wrote, “Rosie is now coming for Keanu.”
Others pointed out that he’s known to be a private person, saying, “He’s an introvert.”
“Really, one of the nicest and most humble people was your worst guest?” one asked online
Image credits: rosie
Keanu has enjoyed decades of stardom whilst still keeping a fairly low-profile.
“I came to Hollywood to be in movies. I feel really grateful that I’ve had that opportunity, but I’m just a private person, and it’s nice that can still exist,” he told Parade in 2019.
The John Wick star, who was born in Lebanon and raised in Canada, said he nearly went by a completely different stage name when he was in his 20s.
During his recent appearance on the New Heights podcast with Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce, Keanu recalled moving to Los Angeles as a 20-year-old.
“At 20 years old, I drove in my car to Los Angeles,” he said on the podcast. “Got out of my car and my manager said, ‘We want to change your name.’ So that’s like, a welcome to Hollywood [moment].
Keanu spoke about nearly changing his name in his 20s during a New Heights podcast episode this week
Image credits: Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Matrix star nearly changed his name to Chuck Spadina and then briefly considered going by KC Reeves.
“My middle name is Charles, so I was like, ‘…Chuck?’ And I grew up on a street called Spadina, [therefore] Chuck Spadina,” he said.
“...So then I became KC Reeves. I was credited as KC Reeves…” he continued.
In his early days of professionally acting, Keanu was credited as “KC Reeves” in a 1986 installment of The Magical World of Disney TV anthology series.
Image credits: Sam Pang Tonight
Eventually, he said it didn’t feel right changing his name.
“I would be in auditions and they would go, ‘KC Reeves.’ And I wouldn’t even answer,” he said. “Six months later, I was like, ‘I’m not doing this.’ That’s a Hollywood moment.”
His real name, now widely recognized across the world, is on the cast list of the new comedy Good Fortune, which also stars Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer, Aziz Ansari, and more.
Keanu plays the role of a guardian angel, trying to teach life lessons to a human in the film, releasing in theaters on Friday, October 17.
The actor spoke about Diane Keaton, whose passing sent shockwaves through Hollywood last week
During a promotional event for Good Fortune, Keanu spoke about Diane Keaton, whose passing sent shockwaves through Hollywood last week.
He called her “such a unique, extraordinary artist and person” and said he “cherished” having the chance to work with her.
Netizens had mixed reactions to Rosie O’Donnell calling Keanu Reeves one of the “worst” guests she had on her show
