Rosie ODonnell admits she has a weird relationship with Ellen DeGeneres and blames it on things her fellow former talk show host has said in public.

ODonnell told The Hollywood Reporter that she and DeGeneres were good friends in the days before they both became famous.

We supported each other, ODonnell explained. She said that when DeGeneres appeared on ODonnells talk show in 1997, prior to her character on the ABC sitcom, Ellen, coming out as gay, she tried to help DeGeneres deal with the looming controversy.

I said, Let me not have you standing there by yourself. Lets get a joke in there, ODonnell recalled. And we sat down and came up with that, Oh my God, I love Casey Kasem. Maybe Im Lebanese. It became a big thing.

But after DeGeneres came out and became more popular, ODonnell said everyone was asking her opinion.

It became a strange, There cant be two lesbians in this town kind of a thing, ODonnell said. Then we each had success and went separate ways.

Although ODonnell admits that the two comedians have had our weirdness in our relationship, she said she doesnt know if its jealousy, competition or the fact that she said a mean thing about me once that really hurt my feelings.

ODonnell was referring to an interview DeGeneres did with Larry King, where she denied knowing ODonnell at all.

ODonnell said after King asked DeGeneres, Whatever happened to Rosie ODonnells show? She went down the tubes as soon as she came out.

DeGeneres responded, I dont know, Rosie. Were not friends.

As you probably guessed, ODonnell wasnt happy and told The Hollywood Reporter, I was watching TV in bed with my wife going, Did she just say that?

ODonnell said it would never occur to me to say, I dont know her about somebody whose babies I held when they were born. It wouldnt be in my lexicon of choices to ever say.

The comedian was also shocked that DeGeneres didnt help her when it was a downward media time for me.

Despite their differences, ODonnell said DeGeneres recently texted her to see how she was doing and, in the process, sort of apologized.

She wrote, Im really sorry, and I dont remember that, ODonnell said. I guess she saw me talk about it on Andy Cohens show.

ODonnell said she remembered the incident so well that she had T-shirts printed for her staff that said, I dont know Rosie. Were not friends.

She added: I have a picture of her holding [my then-infant son] Parker. I know her mother. I could identify her brother without her in the room. I knew her for so many years. It just felt like I dont trust this person to be in my world.

By comparison, ODonnell said her three-decade relationship with Madonna is legit.

We formed a sister thing in a real way where we stay in each others lives and touch base, ODonnell said. She sends gifts to my kids on their birthdays, and my kids show all their friends: This is a gift card from Madonna!