O’Donnell was voted prom queen, homecoming queen and senior class president at Commack High School in Commack, New York, before she graduated in 1980.She began her comedy career as a teen and made her breakthrough on the competition TV series Star Search in 1984.Pre-fame, she worked in the catalog department at Sears.On the syndicated Rosie O’Donnell Show, she made famous the expression “What a cutie patootie!“She owns a toy collection that includes 2,500 McDonald’s Happy Meal toys.Madonna is one of her closest friends. They met when they starred together in the 1992 baseball flick A League of Their Own.O’Donnell was one of the early VH1 VJs, hosting Stand-Up Spotlight (1988), a showcase for up-and-coming comedians.O’Donnell is a big New York Jets fan.O’Donnell refuses to sign autographs for adults but will sign for a child.O’Donnell was once a phone lifeline on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, helping the contestant win $32,000.O’Donnell turned down the role of Mary in Hocus Pocus, thinking it would be “too obnoxious.” It went to Kathy Najimy.
