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Updated: Nov. 9, 9:29 AM ET

Rosie O'Donnell Will Not Play Steve Bannon on 'SNL' -- This Weekend, Her Rep Says

The actress gave her avatar a Bannon makeover on Thursday.

ByABC News
February 10, 2017, 2:28 PM

— -- "Saturday Night Live" fans who were gearing up to see Rosie O'Donnell play White House chief strategist Steve Bannon are going to be sorely disappointed -- this weekend, at least.

According to O'Donnell's publicist, the actress is not going to play Bannon this weekend.

On Thursday, O'Donnell replaced her Twitter avatar with an image of her face on Bannon's head, sparking chatter that she was preparing to play him on the comedy show. A rep for "SNL" would only say, "We do not comment on rumored guest appearances."

Rosie O'Donnell modified her Twitter avatar on February 9. 2017, so she appears to look like Steve Bannon, whom she's been lobbying to spoof on "Saturday Night Live."
Twitter/@Rosie

O'Donnell, 54, a vocal critic of President Donald Trump's administration, first expressed her interest in the role Monday night in a series of tweets after one of her 961,000 Twitter followers asked if she would be interested in playing Bannon -- whom "SNL" has so far portrayed as the Grim Reaper.

"I am here to serve," O'Donnell wrote. "Alec [Baldwin] has Trump - Melissa [McCarthy] has [White House press secretary Sean] Spice[r] - I would need a few days to prepare - so if called - I will be ready."

And in another tweet, she wrote, "available - if called I will serve !!!"

Aside from her fans, O'Donnell's campaign to play Bannon has been well-received by her Hollywood peers. Following her avatar change Thursday, actor George Takei tweeted, "Oh, a thousand times, yes. If there is a God, please let this happen."

O'Donnell has been feuding with Trump since late 2006, when she criticized him on "The View." Since then, the two have traded insults on social media and in the press. And in September, when Hillary Clinton accused Trump of sexism during a debate, he responded in part by bashing O'Donnell.

"Somebody who's been very vicious to me, Rosie O'Donnell, I said very tough things to her, and I think everybody would agree that she deserves it and nobody feels sorry for her,” he said.

Alec Baldwin, who has played Trump on "SNL" since last year, is slated to host the show this week.

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