Rosie O’Donnell’s Former Star Island Mansion Sells for $36 Million to Energy Drink Tycoon—Months After She Quit U.S. for Ireland

Rosie O’Donnell‘s former Miami home has sold for a staggering $36 million to the billionaire founder of Rockstar Energy Drink—10 months after it hit the market for the even higher price of $54 million.

Though energy drink tycoon Russell Weiner still had to shell out quite a hefty sum to purchase the property, he managed to secure a 33% discount on the original asking price for the home, which was listed by Liz Hogan of Compass.

The expansive waterfront property sits on an acre and offers 11,000 square feet of living space, as well as a wide variety of extravagant amenities, having undergone an impressive renovation while in the hands of its most recent owners.

When it was listed, the historic dwelling was the only property on the market on Star Island—where disgraced rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs famously owns two homes—making it all the more alluring to buyers seeking a slice of paradise inside the exclusive enclave.

O’Donnell, 62, purchased the home, which was built in 1923, for $6.75 million back in 1999, seven years after she shot to fame while starring as Doris Murphy in the hit 1992 movie “A League of Their Own.”

However, the actress, who is also known for her appearances in movies like “The Flintstones” and “Harriet the Spy,” made the decision to put the home back on the market just four years later, selling it to real estate investor Dr. David Frankel and his wife Linda Frankel in 2003 for $16.5 million, earning herself a profit of around $10 million in the process.

According to The Wall Street Journal, David and Linda—a former Vogue editor—”substantially renovated” the home during the many years they spent living there.

But after David died in March 2024, months after his wife died, their son, Greg Frankel, made the decision to list the property.

Greg had been living in the dwelling with his own family for 18 months when it was listed, having moved into the home while his own property in Coconut Grove was undergoing renovations.

However Greg, an attorney and former music executive, told the WSJ that he ultimately made the decision to list the home because he and his family had spent so much time updating their own home.

He made clear to the outlet that he was aware the property could well end up being torn down by a buyer to make way for a more modern home.

However, he noted that his parents made several changes to the home after moving in, not least replacing a mounted hammerhead shark that O’Donnell had displayed above the staircase. They replaced it with a piece of contemporary art.

Other, more significant updates to the property include an expanded entryway, a new kitchen, and updated landscaping—a project Greg said was of particular importance to his mother, who was a botany enthusiast and loved spending time working on a small mango grove that sits on the property.

The jewel of the property is the eight-bedroom, Mediterranean-style main house; however, there are also two smaller guesthouses and a private boathouse on the grounds.

Water lovers will have undoubtedly be lured in by the private dock and 40,000-pound boat lift, while anyone with children will have been swayed by the enormous swimming pool, complete with water slide.

“A generational opportunity to purchase on Miami Beach’s most coveted guard-gated Star Island,” the listing stated. “Spanning over an acre of lush foliage, this meticulously curated private compound boasts over 200 feet of prime waterfront with captivating skyline and bay views.

“Upon entry to the double height foyer, you will find numerous entertaining areas. … Seize this rare opportunity to claim a legacy estate on this exclusive island sanctuary!”

The home also offered up an intriguing history beyond its former celebrity owner.

According to multiple reports, it was once owned by a seemingly religious organization known as the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church, whose members sparked furious controversy among their fellow Star Island residents by smoking copious amounts of marijuana in and around the property—creating “clouds” of smoke that wafted around the home.

Then, of course, there is the allure of the home’s glitzy neighborhood, which has long been seen as one of the most exclusive locations in the Miami area—and in the U.S.

Multiple celebrities have owned homes there over the years, albeit not all of them have attracted positive interest.

In March 2024, Star Island was invaded by Homeland Security agents who conducted an extensive raid of the compound owned by Diddy as part of a sex trafficking investigation into the rapper. The search resulted in his September 2024 arrest.

Diddy offered up his $48 million Star Island mansion as collateral in a failed $50 million bail plea that same month; however, his bid for freedom was rejected by a judge, who agreed with prosecutors that the rapper is too much of a risk to be allowed bail.

The rapper was later found not guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking charges—but was convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He is currently behind bars awaiting his sentencing.

His home on the island is made up of two properties, which the rapper bought decades apart.

He purchased the first—a nine-bedroom, 12-bathroom mansion—for $14.5 million in 2003. He picked up the second home, which is next door to his original Miami mansion, for $35 million in 2021. It has six bedrooms and 8.5 bathrooms.

His second property was previously owned by Gloria and Emilio Estefan and includes two buildings, which sit on a 1.34-acre lot.

Other high-profile personalities who have lived on Star Island over the years include Jennifer Lopez, “Real Housewives of Miami” star Lisa Hochstein, and pharma billionaire Phillip Frost.

The sale comes after O’Donnell confessed in a January TikTok video that she had quit the U.S., adding that she was in the process of applying for Irish citizenship.

O’Donnell, who has long been an outspoken critic of Trump, made the move with her 12-year-old child, Dakota “Clay” O’Donnell, explaining that she waited until they were “settled” in their new home before “telling everybody what’s been going on.”

The comedian went on to explain that she can apply for citizenship in her new chosen homeland because she has Irish grandparents. However, she conceded that she never thought she would end up leaving the U.S., where she had most recently been living in Los Angeles.

Although O’Donnell said she has relished in taking in all of the wonderful aspects of Ireland, she confessed that she has often found herself missing parts of the U.S., specifically her four other children: Parker, 29, Chelsea, 27, Blake, 25, and Vivienne, 22.

“You know, I’m happy. Clay is happy. [But] I miss my other kids. I miss my friends. I miss many things about life there at home, and I’m trying to find a home here in this beautiful country,” she explained.

O’Donnell also said that she would consider returning to the States after Trump leaves office and the country is “safe” again. She did not mention the president by name, instead referring only to what is “happening politically” in the country.

“And when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that’s when we will consider coming back,” she said. “It’s been heartbreaking to see what’s happening politically and hard for me personally as well. The personal is political, as we all know,” she said.