‘Rosie O’Donnell Show’ Bandleader John McDaniel Talks the LGBTQ+ Legacy of the Show

The Rosie O’Donnell Show premiered 30 years ago — and Rosie O’Donnell‘s former bandleader, John McDaniel, is opening up about what it was like as a staff member on what he confirms was one of the most quietly diverse shows on broadcast TV at the time.

“I love that [writer and producer] Judy Gold has talked about the fact that behind the scenes, it was secretly the gayest show on television,” the interviewer pointed out. “Was that your experience?”

To that, the Emmy-winning bandleader confirmed, “So gay. So gay. But we weren’t allowed to talk about it. I mean, the suits at Telepictures who produced the show were explicit with, you know, you do not talk about it. But Rosie and I found ways to bring it into the conversation in our own way.”

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McDaniel said that although he had been out since a young age, “it was odd to not be able to talk about that very important part of my life.” He explained, “But it was the gig. I mean, it was before Will & Grace. It was before Ellen [DeGeneres] came out. It was really another world then, in ’96.”

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Additionally, McDaniel addressed Tom Selleck‘s memorable appearance on The Rosie O’Donnell Show, during which O’Donnell asked him about his public support of the NRA. He said that O’Donnell has “always been outspoken about everything, even on the show when she was the queen of nice.”

He added, “This is where she lives. She’s always been a truth-teller.”

Still, McDaniel admitted, “It was a little tense, honestly. But it was live, and so that is kind of a beautiful thing. We got through it, and I think it’s important. These are important times.”

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O’Donnell herself also reflected on the controversial questioning during a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live.

When asked whether she regretted confronting Selleck about the NRA, she pointed out, “Well, I think he wasn’t prepared, and nor was the audience, because I had never done anything like that on the show. But I was so undone by Columbine and having little children, and that I couldn’t believe he put an ad in the magazine that said, ‘I am the NRA.’ And if you’re going to say, ‘I am the NRA,’ you need to answer for the NRA. But he didn’t seem to want to.”

O’Donnell also confessed, “I do feel bad now that he’s older, and I am too. I don’t want it to be something he remembers so horrifically. But I think that it wasn’t a good time for him.”

Recently, O’Donnell returned to the talk show scene when she stepped in as a guest host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! during Jimmy Kimmel‘s summer break.

The Rosie O’Donnell Show aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002.