Rosie O’Donnell Embroiled in Custody Battle with Estranged Wife

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A longtime proponent of both gay marriage and gay adoptions, former View co-host Rosie O’Donnell is now going through her second gay divorce, and things are getting ugly.

Rosie’s estranged wife Michelle Rounds is asking a New York court for full custody of the pair’s 2-year-old daughter Dakota, reports Page Six, citing concerns over the toddler’s welfare.

Rounds attorney, William D. London, confirmed to the site Tuesday, “My client Michelle Rounds has decided to start proceedings for sole custody of their daughter Dakota, since it is unequivocally in their child’s best interest and general welfare.”

A spokeswoman for O’Donnell fought back. “This is an absurd and desperate attempt to use a child for her [Rounds’] own gain,” Cindi Berger said.

Just weeks after ending her second stint of The View, back in February, O’Donnell filed for divorce from Rounds in Manhattan Supreme Court. She said at the time: “My health got a little bit worse right before the holidays — my doctor was kind of concerned… I can’t really fix my personal life right away, but I can fix my job.”

O’Donnell and Rounds reportedly split for good last November after three years of marriage, and had been living apart for months. They had adopted Dakota together during their marriage and signed a prenuptial agreement before their 2012 wedding.

Divorce negotiations had been reportedly been amicable prior to Tuesday’s news.

After her first wife Kelli Carpenter moved out of their shared residence in 2009, Rosie said: “[The kids] are, by far, a priority… But everything’s fine and everybody’s good and we’re still both raising them together. We will both continue to parent them and we’re friendly and everything’s all right.”

Things aren’t looking quite as rosy this time around.

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