Rosie O'Donnell Takes Her First Step Into Oprah's Very Big Shoes
by Richard Sharp
Oprah's city, Oprah's studio, Oprah's staff, Oprah's success? Rosie O'Donnell returns to the small screen today with her new program "The Rosie Show," and to say she has some very big shoes to fill is a massive understatement.
She's taken over Oprah's facilities in the West Loop of Chicago, and has retained much of the staff, and while most Chicagoans are hugely supportive of any kind of production dollars in the community, many are a little wary of whether or not the sometimes controversial and abrasive Rosie will be able to match the universal likability (and resulting success) of Oprah.
O'Donnell has had quite a few battles over the years, both on her syndicated program in the 90's with Tom Selleck and Donald Trump and during her brief stint on "The View" with Elizabeth Hasselbeck.
Clearly, though, if only for the sake of the local economy, Chicagoans are clearly pulling for her.
"Everywhere I go, people are like 'Hey Rosie, thanks for coming here.' 'Hey Ro, how you doing?' I have yet to pay for a meal in any restaurant and that's really because of the goodwill that Oprah has garnered over two decades here," Rosie told the Chicago Tribune.
While being vouched for by Oprah might get her free meals in the Windy City, will it translate to audience share on a national level? We're about to find out.
In addition to OWN, tonight's show will also air on TLC, Investigation Discovery, Discovery Fit & Health, and Planet Green. The show airs at 7 p.m. EST.
Watch Rosie get some tips from Oprah on making big introductions: