Michael Cohen was supported by his pal and ex-adversary Rosie O'Donnellas he took the witness stand in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial this week, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The dynamic between the pair has evolved into a friendship since Cohen, 57, cut ties with Trump, who has famously hurled public insults at O'Donnell, 62.
Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney and "fixer" testified against his ex-boss in New York this week regarding the alleged payments he allegedly facilitated to conceal negative press about Trump and boost his presidential campaign.
On the morning that Cohen took the stand as a star witness in the Manhattan courtroom, O'Donnell sent him a text message reading, "breathe - relax - tell the truth - u got this - i love u," The New York Times reported.
The comedian and actress he once helped torment under Trump’s directive sent another text an hour later, reading, “Ur doing great.” Cohen responded, “Thank you and truly love you.”
O'Donnell told Cohen that he hit a "home run."
Cohen first implicated Trump in the alleged hush money scheme during his own trial for campaign finance violations and tax evasion. In 2018, he pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to three years in prison.
O'Donnell reportedly reached out to Cohen while he was behind bars in upstate New York and expressed feelings that he was taking the fall for Trump's alleged wrongdoings.
She wrote the inmate a six-page letter, saying that while she viewed Cohen as a party to Trump's campaign against her, she had forgiven him and was grateful for his change of heart.
Cohen apologized for his involvement in the public attacks and invited her to visit him at the minimum-security camp, which she did, and they chatted for more than six hours.
During the conversation, O'Donnell and Cohen touched on their shared pasts, their children, and the state of the country. The bond persisted and the pair remained friends after Cohen was released in May 2020.
He published a memoir, Disloyal, upon his release that recounted his experiences with Trump and his role in the attacks on O'Donnell. Soon afterward, he launched a podcast, Mea Culpa, and O'Donnell was his first guest.
He described her as a "mensch" and acknowledged how her kindness and empathy helped him realize the harm he had caused.
Cohen has admitted that he was behind some of the personal jabs Trump threw O’Donnell’s way, saying he was part of the “brain trust” behind Trump’s Twitter account, where he would regularly troll his enemies.
The longtime feud between the comedian and former president dates back decades, to O'Donnell's time as a co-host on The View.
After she criticized Trump on air in 2006, he threatened a lawsuit. He proceeded to publicly insult O'Donnell during several media appearances, calling her "wacko" and "fat."
Years later, O'Donnell railed against Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign, asserting that he would "never be president," and calling him an "orange anus." Trump clapped back with his own insults, calling O'Donnell a "fat pig."
O’Donnell said that she was now in “regular” contact with Cohen.
“I know this has been a tumultuous time, so I check in. It’s a big thing to be in a position to be able to change the whole country in some way,” she said.