Rosie O’Donnell claims Michelle Trachtenberg was struggling with addiction before her death, calling the loss of her Harriet the Spy co-star a “tragedy”.
“In the last few years, when she was really unwell, she would call me and we would talk,” the former talk show host told Variety in an interview published Thursday.
“I also called her mother to find out what was going on, and her mother told me what was going on and how long it had been going on,” she continued.
“We were supposed to meet three or four times, and she never showed up. Sometimes at a restaurant, sometimes at my house where someone was preparing dinner. I called her and said, ‘Honey, are you leaving yet?'” And she says, “Was that today?” She wasn’t feeling very well. ”
The talk show icon also said, “I wish I could have done more” for Trachtenberg. “I tried to help her as much as I could, but in the end I couldn’t get close and it was tragic.”
The 64-year-old “View” alum also said of Trachtenberg, who died in February 2025 at the age of 39, “She was a real child prodigy who could memorize anything, could catch lines, could improvise and play along. She was connected and right there.”
“She was very close to her mother, Lana, and her ballerina sister,” the “Sleepless in Seattle” actress recalled.
Ms O’Donnell said her family was a “very loving family” until the Gossip Girl actress allegedly “became involved in drugs and alcohol” and became “unreachable”.
“I didn’t think[Trachtenberg]would die,” the “Flintstones” star confessed.
“Most people suffer from addiction, so their loved ones think they will survive, but they can die because of their addiction to drugs and alcohol. It happens all too often and must be taken seriously,” she pointed out.
A representative for the late “Ice Princess” star did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
Ms. Trachtenberg passed away on February 26, 2025 from complications of diabetes. He had undergone a liver transplant before his death.
Page Six has learned that less than a week before Trachtenberg’s death, he appeared to be in a “very bad state” during an outing with friends at Italian restaurant Sartiano’s, appearing “weak” and having trouble “walking down the stairs.”
However, after fans raised concerns about her January 2024 Instagram photo, Trachtenberg insisted she is “healthy and happy” in an online response.
“Recently I’ve received a few comments about my appearance,” she captioned the snapshot at the time.
“I have never had plastic surgery. I am happy and healthy. Haters please check yourself.”
