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It鈥檚 been a big year for Rosie O鈥橠onnell 鈥� one of her serial workplace bullies was elected to the presidential office again, and she moved her family across the ocean, needing to learn how to become part of a whole new community.

鈥淲hen I got to Ireland, I wanted to introduce myself to the people there,鈥� O鈥橠onnell said. 鈥滻 wanted to give them my origin story. How did I end up in Ireland? How did I end up at this point, with five children and mothering and being a mother without a mother. And how does one accomplish all that?鈥�

Being born right on the cusp of the Gen Z/Millennial divide, Rosie O鈥橠onnell was probably one of the first lesbians I ever saw. The queerness in me saw the way she took up space, the inherently lesbian way she wore a blazer, and knew there was some nameless thread connecting us.听

Her new show, Common Knowledge, isn鈥檛 strictly a stand up show 鈥� O鈥橠onnell says it鈥檚 more a one woman performance. When she was first offered a gig at Edinburgh Fringe, it started out as a comedy set, but it wasn鈥檛 until a friend suggested she try it more in the style of a play that the show started to come together.听

鈥淚t’s just a different form of storytelling, I suppose,鈥� she says. 鈥淎t the beginning, when I tell the story of my mother’s death, people are surprised. You hear gasps sometimes, about just how sad it was 鈥� five small children losing their mum.听

鈥淲e definitely walk the line, but I think that audiences have responded really well.鈥�

Having been in the public eye for more than half her life, O鈥橠onnell has a lot of stories to tell, and not all of them are easy. It鈥檚 clear that she finds a sense of solace in telling the truth, and says she hopes audiences walk away with the knowledge that they can tell their truth in any form that suits them.

鈥淲hether it’s cooking, whether it’s painting, whether it’s being a mom, whatever it is that is your art form,鈥� she said.听

鈥淵ou have to tell your story, and we have to tell each other’s stories as gay people. We have to teach our new flock of new generations, who the heroes were, who came before them. Who do you have to thank, whose shoulders you have stood on? Reverence for our community is important.鈥�

In Common Knowledge, O鈥橠onnell describes herself as the 鈥淥G lesbian bitch鈥� 鈥� a hard-won reputation.听

鈥淵ou shouldn’t care so much what other people think about you,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 think that’s the most important thing. It’s not your business what other people think about you. And you know, everyone has an opinion, and you don’t have to take it to heart, you don’t even have to concern yourself. To know yourself and to be able to be free, to be yourself everywhere, is the greatest gift you can give yourself.鈥�

It鈥檚 a striking answer, especially given how much criticism O鈥橠onnell has endured over the decades. She was too outspoken, too political, too much 鈥� the sort of descriptors hurled towards women who don鈥檛 shrink themselves in a world designed to make them feel small.

Between her take-no-shit, dykey attitude and unabashed embrace of female masculinity, she was an easy target for mid-noughties American culture.听

鈥淲hen everyone started coming out, it still took years and years and years for people to be able to have a career and be gay as well in show business in America,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 remember when all of the stuff was coming out and about Ellen, and KD Lang and Melissa. It was a very big deal.听

鈥淚t was like a seismic shift for gay people to be visible. And with that comes responsibility鈥� persevere, persist, and know that you are entitled to the same decency, dignity and rights as everyone else.鈥�

Persist she did. O鈥橠onnell went from being the butt of the joke to an enduring legend of queer entertainers, and she hasn鈥檛 compromised her views to do so. O鈥橠onnell has been consistently outspoken against the Trump regime 鈥� so much so that the leader of the free world recently said she was 鈥渁 threat to humanity鈥�.听

It would have been easier to shrink as time washed over her 鈥� but we all know that鈥檚 never been O鈥橠onnell鈥檚 style.

鈥淲e have to do this for our sons and daughters,鈥� O鈥橠onnell tells me. 鈥淲e have to do it for the next generation. We have to educate everyone [on] gay history and who our heroes were.鈥�

Rosie O鈥橠onnell is bringing Common Knowledge to and .听