Rosie O'Donnell has compared Lindsay Lohan to the late Whitney Houston.

The TV host appeared on the Today show this week and claimed the actress isn't fit to play Dame Elizabeth Taylor in an upcoming biopic she's been cast in. Rosie said that she felt "sorry" for Lindsay as she is "not in a place to work".

Lindsay has since hit back at the remarks, but Rosie appeared on the Today show again this morning to clarify her concerns.

"We've all seen what's happened in the last decade and it's tragic," Rosie said of Lindsay. "Listen, I'm 50 years old, and watching Whitney Houston's funeral I remember thinking why didn't more people say what they knew. We all knew.

"When she would not show up to do this show, not show up to my show. We watched Being Bobby Brown. It was like watching Sid and Nancy. They were people in the throes of addiction. But all we cared about was the ratings, not that this talented individual, this human being, this mother, this daughter, was worth saving and pulling out of the money market industry and I know only someone can be in control of their own sobriety, but to look at Lindsay Lohan you cannot help but feel for her.

"I do not think she's untalented. I think she's quite talented."

Whitney passed away in a Beverly Hills hotel in February aged 48, after a long battle with alcohol and drug dependency.

Lindsay's representative Steve Honig hit back at Rosie's claims earlier this week.

"I think Rosie should focus on her own career and stop worrying about everyone else's," he said.

"It's hard to take these comments seriously considering they are coming from someone who just had her own talk show cancelled, but I guess she has to find a way to stay in the news, even if it is at the expense of someone else."