Oprah: I Reached Out to Rosie
Rosie O'Donnell, Oprah Winfrey
Rosie O'Donnell is joining Oprah Winfrey's family. The six-time Daytime Emmy-winning talk-show host is returning to her roots after a stab at a prime-time variety show and a tempestuous — but high-rated — stint on The View. O'Donnell, whose last TV project was the HBO special A Family Is a Family Is a Family, will launch a daily talk show on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network in 2011.
Winfrey tells TV Guide Magazine exclusively that she "reached out to Rosie, went to her house, sat at her table and had a conversation about partnering. I always thought that she was one of the best television talents in terms of being authentic and real and fun and presenting her genuine self."
The hour long, New York-based chat show, described as "fun and uplifting, with Ms. O'Donnell's playful and energetic style," will be more reminiscent of O'Donnell's Broadway-loving syndicated The Rosie O'Donnell Show than her politically charged View work. OWN, backed by Winfrey and Discovery Communications, premieres January 1.
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