Rosie O’Donnell says Keanu Reeves was ‘one of the worst’ talk show guests

Rosie O’Donnell navigated many a tricky interview during her years as a daytime television host, but never expected this Hollywood golden child to give her an issue.

When discussing her best and worst guests during the six-year tenure of The Rosie O’Donnell Show on a recent episode of Australia’s Sam Pang Tonight, the 63-year-old comedian revealed “one of the worst, who, I love the guy, but he’s not good on talk shows – Keanu Reeves.”

Reacting to the smattering of surprised gasps that erupted throughout Pang’s audience, O’Donnell clarified, “He’s so sweet, he looks gorgeous, I love all his movies, but he would not answer a question. I’d say, ‘So, Keanu, how’s it going? How are you feeling?’ – ‘Good'” she imitated in her best slacker mumble. “We were live. We couldn’t retape. I finally said after three minutes, ‘You know, Keanu, it is a talk show. You have to talk!'”

O’Donnell’s comments were clearly lighthearted, as she laughed and smiled while noting, “But he did come back, and he got the hang of it. He’s a a lovely man and a good-hearted guy, so I don’t wanna throw him under the bus.”

Entertainment Weekly has reached out to a representative for Reeves for comment.

Ever the straight shooter, O’Donnell then made sure her audience knew that while Reeves was safe, that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t throw anyone under the bus.

“I could have said Tom Selleck, which would have been easy to do,” she snarked. Recalling her controversial 1999 interview with the Blue Bloods star, which escalated to a notable level of hostility when the pair began debating gun rights, O’Donnell shared, “It was very awkward, because I had never been unkind or controversial, but Columbine had just happened. It was 1999, and he had an ad in magazines that said, ‘I am the NRA, shooting teaches children good values,’ and I was so torn up about Columbine that I just didn’t give up. Like an innocent idiot, I said to my staff, ‘Do you think that will get any press?'”

EW has reached out to a representative for Selleck for comment.

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O’Donnell and Selleck’s fiery exchange did indeed generate a considerable amount of press, and in hindsight, provides a stark contrast to Reeves’ interview, which aired two years prior. In the Selleck interview, the actor accused O’Donnell of “questioning my humanity” as she pressed him on his share of responsibility for gun deaths after signing off on the full-page ad, which declared, “I’m the NRA… Shooting teaches young people good things. Because all good rules for shooting are good rules for life.'”

Reeves, meanwhile, was merely coy, perhaps just shy. O’Donnell peppered the actor there to promote the horror film The Devil’s Advocate with questions that, true to her memory, he generally responded to with short, to-the-point answers.

The Rosie O’Donnell show went on to have plenty more contentious and lively interviews through its final episode in 2002, which featured guests Nathan Lane and Christine Ebersole.

You can watch O’Donnell’s full interview on Sam Pang Tonight above.