Overview
- O'Donnell told Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast that she had the word “they” tattooed on her left wrist in her child Clay's handwriting and then admitted she again used the pronoun “she” while retelling the story.
- She said Clay wrote “they” on a cardboard cue to remind her after coming out as nonbinary in 2024 and that she brought that cardboard to a tattoo parlor so the ink would match Clay's handwriting.
- The episode has revived public interest in O'Donnell's family history, including her 2013 adoption of Clay, a prior custody fight, the 2017 death of ex-wife Michelle Rounds, and her move to Ireland in January 2025.
- Coverage of the anecdote has been mixed, with some outlets emphasizing the sincere parental effort and others framing the slip-up as evidence of a broader cultural clash, producing criticism and online backlash.
- The episode illustrates how hard habit change can be for some parents when learning new pronouns and signals the potential for personal family moments to become public flashpoints in cultural debates.