Rosie O'Donnell celebrates son Parker’s 30th birthday with a rare photo

Rosie O
Rosie O'Donnell (Getty via Soap Central CMS - Resized on Canva)

Rosie O'Donnell is no stranger to sharing photos of her children on her social media. However, the talk show host and comedian took to Instagram on June 14 to share a rare photo of her first child, Parker Jaren O'Donnell, who turned 30 years old. O'Donnell adopted her first son with her ex-wife, Kelli Carpenter. The reason why there are not many photos of Parker with his mother is that he is currently working in the military.

Rosie O'Donnell captioned the photo where Parker is looking to the side, sporting a man bun and a thick beard. She wrote:

"happy birthday parker - i love u to the moon and back - 30 years - went too quickly #firstborn"

But this was not it, the Stand By Your Man actress also posted another photo prior to the birthday picture. She posted a photo of herself and Parker in the frame and captioned it:

"happy birthday tomorrow parker #firstborn"

More details about Rosie O'Donnell's adopted family

Rosie O'Donnell began her journey as a parent when she adopted Parker as an infant in 1995. Later on, her then-partner, Kelli Carpenter, also adopted Parker Jaren O'Donnell. The couple was legally married on February 26, 2004. O'Donnell and Kelli Carpenter share four children, all of whom were adopted.

The second child adopted by Rosie and Kelli is Chelsea Belle O'Donnell. However, O'Donnell and Chelsea did not have a great relationship as mother and daughter. In August 2015, Rosie announced that Chelsea had gone missing from home and was found a week later. The comedian later posted:

"Chelsea made a decision when she turned 18 that she wanted to go to her birth mother. This was her choice."

On the other side of the story, Chelsea gave a statement during an interview with Inside Edition. She said:

"Growing up, I never really got along with her and then once she kicked me out, I was just kind of done... I miss the rest of my family a lot but I think there is some much-needed space between me and Rosie. It's been nice having that."

Rosie and Kelli adopted a third child named Blake Christopher O'Donnell, who is now 25-26 years old. He has an extremely private life, but O'Donnell sometimes shares a few of his achievements and milestones on her official Instagram page.

The last and fourth child Rosie O'Donnell and Kelli Carpenter share is Vivienne Rose O'Donnell. Vivienne, who is active on social media, has responded to people who think that her mother made her life normal. Vivienne said:

"I love all these comments about how Rosie kept my life 'normal.' No offense, Mom, that never happened," comparing her idea of 'normal' to her friend's lives.

The youngest O'Donnell in the house is Clay O'Donnell, who was born on January 5, 2013. Clay was adopted while Rosie was married to her late second wife, Michelle Rounds. Rosie has also been open about her youngest daughter's autism diagnosis. She wrote on social media:

"I didn't want [Clay] to feel shame about [their] diagnosis... I have told [them] from the start that autism is [their] superpower... I am learning to have compassion much deeper than I ever did. To really listen and communicate in a way I never had to with my other kids. The sense of vulnerability that comes with having a kid with autism has been a gift to me."

Rosie O'Donnell shared a lovely photo of her first child turning 30, including another pre-birthday photo of herself and Parker. O'Donnell, who is a parent to five adopted children, has been open with her followers about her family, sharing her journey that includes strained relationships and personal milestones.

Edited by Benidamika Jones Latam