Sweet video of young Michelle Trachtenberg resurfaces and fans are struggling to hold back tears
Following the sad news of Michelle Trachtenberg's death, a heartwarming video of her wholesome interview with Rosie O'Donnell has resurfaced on the internet. For the unversed, the 'Gossip Girl' actress passed away at the age of 39 at her home in New York City on February 26, 2025. According to a report by The New York Post, Trachtenberg who was a child actress before she shot to fame after appearing in the television series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' was found dead at her New York City apartment.
In a 1996 interview on O'Donnell's talk show 'The Rosie O'Donnell Show', the popular talk show host who starred alongside Trachtenberg in the 1996 comedy film 'Harriet the Spy' asked her then 10-year-old co-star about her claim that O'Donnell began a cherry pit fight on the set of the movie. In the video that has emerged online, O'Donnell teased Trachtenberg and quipped, "I saw on some news channel that you were lying in public and saying that I started some sort of cherry pit fight on the set." In her response, Trachtenberg said, "Yes, you did."
O'Donnell jokingly remarked, "No. I don't know what you are talking about. What what did you say on that show," to which Trachtenberg responded, "I said, 'Vanessa and I and Gregory, we were talking nicely, calmly, not bothering anyone when somebody throws a stone at me, maybe a little cherry." At that time, O'Donnell explained, "It wasn't a stone it was a cherry picked." Then, Trachtenberg laughed and noted, "See, see, see."
In her defense, O'Donnell stated, "Oh, s**t, I did. I couldn't help it. You know because it gets boring on the set, doesn't it? Don't you think?" Trachtenberg echoed the same sentiments by saying, "Sometimes." Later, O'Donnell asked Trachtenberg, "Do you want to do small movies thing," to which the child actor replied, "I would love to." After a while, O'Donnell entered the chat again and questioned Trachtenberg, "You want to go college first, right?" At that point, Trachtenberg replied to O'Donnell's question by saying, "Yeah." At the end of the interview, O'Donnell playfully uttered, "Nobody wants dumb actors right," as Trachtenberg continued to chuckle.
Many fans stopped by the comments section of the resurfaced video to pay their tributes to Trachtenberg. One social media user wrote, "RIP Michelle Tratchenberg. So surreal." Another user chimed in, "Watching this now is heartbreaking rip angel you will be missed." Followed by a third user who penned, "She was three years older than me. RIP... had a little crush on her in the 90s. Life is so fragile." A fourth user commented, "This is a sad one because we witnessed her grow up on screens (even people who were younger than her) so to me she’s still that little 10 year old girl in Harriet The Spy. And 39 is far too young. She’ll be missed. Rest peacefully Michelle."
O'Donnell recently broke her silence on Trachtenberg's heartbreaking demise. In a statement issued to Us Weekly, O'Donnell said, “Heartbreaking. I loved her very much. She struggled the last few years. I wish I could have helped.” In 1996, O'Donnell and Trachtenberg starred together in Bronwen Hughes' film 'Harriet the Spy', based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Louise Fitzhugh. Back in the day, Trachtenberg made her acting debut with Hughes' movie. In the film, Trachtenberg essayed the character of Harriet, meanwhile, O'Donnell played the role of Catherine "Ole Golly."
During a 2016 interview with Uproxx, Trachtenberg candidly spoke about her great bond with O'Donnell. “I probably bonded with Rosie [O’Donnell] the most. She was very caring, and so funny. When we had to be serious for a scene we would, but we always went back to giggling and playing games when that scene was done. She was a very giving actor, even off camera. Any scene with Rosie was so special for me. She was amazing to work with, and we genuinely had a great time together. She respected me as an actress and I learned a lot from her. The hardest scene was saying goodbye to Golly," Trachtenberg told the media outlet at that time.