Rosie O'Donnell Unleashes Shocking Truth About Michelle Trachtenberg's Hidden Addiction

Rosie O'Donnell drops a bombshell about Michelle Trachtenberg's secret addiction struggles, revealing the tragic reality behind her former co-star's life.

Trachtenberg, who starred alongside O'Donnell in "Harriet the Spy," died in February 2025 at 39. O'Donnell, now 64, returned to the U.S. after relocating to Ireland, citing concerns for her non-binary child ahead of Donald Trump's second inauguration.

In a candid interview, O'Donnell opened up about Trachtenberg's hidden battles with addiction, a revelation that had never been made public before. “It was a tragedy. She was a real genius child who was able to memorize anything,” O'Donnell stated. “She was so close to her mother, Lana, and her sister, who’s a ballerina. They were a very loving family, and then, you know, she got into drugs and alcohol, I believe, and then I lost touch with her.”

O'Donnell recounted how they attempted to reconnect in Trachtenberg's later years. “On the last few years, when she was in pretty bad shape, she would call me and we would talk,” she said. “I also called her mother to find out what was going on, and her mother told me what was happening, and how long it has been happening.”

Despite plans to meet multiple times, Trachtenberg often failed to show up. “We were supposed to see each other three or four times, and she just never showed up,” O'Donnell lamented. “I would call her and go, ‘Honey, are you heading over?’ and she’d go, ‘Was that today?’ She was not in good shape.”

O'Donnell expressed disbelief that Trachtenberg would die, wishing she could have done more. “I tried to help her as much as I could, but she was inaccessible toward the end, and it was tragic,” she admitted.

O'Donnell's own family has faced addiction issues. “It’s horrible, and addiction has hit my family, too. I have a daughter who’s addicted. She’s been sober a year and a half, and she’s currently in prison,” she revealed. “It’s very serious and there are millions of families in America going through the same thing.”

This marks the first time Trachtenberg's alleged addiction has been publicly discussed. In 2024, she underwent a liver transplant and was later found unresponsive in her New York apartment by her mother on February 26, 2025.

Her family objected to an autopsy for religious reasons. Toxicology results released one month later indicated that complications from diabetes were the primary cause of death, which can occur as a side effect of liver transplantation.

O'Donnell and Trachtenberg shared the screen in "Harriet the Spy" when Trachtenberg was just 10 years old.