Rita Wilson, Melanie Griffith, & Rosie O’Donnell Reflect On Their Over 30-Year Friendship

The powerful women in Hollywood are out to celebrate one another! Access Hollywood chatted with Rita Wilson, Melanie Griffith, & Rosie O’Donnell at the 2024 Elle Women in Hollywood where they presented to honoree and fellow “Now and Then” costar Demi Moore. Speaking with Access, the women gushed over Demi’s talent before expressing their thoughts on Sydney Sweeney’s recent comments to Vanity Fair in which she slammed “women empowering other women” in Hollywood as “fake.” “She’s a very talented young actress, but I can understand what she feels, because when you’re young and you’re starting out everybody puts you in competition with each other. You know, women before Title 9 in 1973 weren’t allowed to play sports. We only had to play against each other. We didn’t learn teamwork,” O’Donell said, adding, “It’s only through the ERA and the attention that that brought – although it’s not yet in the Democratic – it’s not in the Constitution. We still are half the population, but we don’t have representation in the Constitution. It’s absurd. But, I understand what she’s saying, but I will tell her that this is 30 years of friendship right here, and it’s real. And you can find it in show business if you look.” Wilson then chimed in, saying, “Sometimes, just like we had, groundbreakers in Gloria Steinem and Bella Abzug and, Jane Fonda, Goldie Hawn – we had those groundbreakers. And sometimes the pendulum swings to the other direction and sometimes you can forget that there were people who’ve made sacrifices beforehand. So, hopefully Sydney will be a person who comes around and understands it one day.” 2024 ELLE Women in Hollywood Celebration, issue on newsstands nationwide on December 3, 2024.