How Rosie O'Donnell Really Feels About Returning To TV
Before there was "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," there was "The Rosie O'Donnell Show." Rosie O'Donnell was one of the first daytime talk show hosts to reach such a high level of recognition. After roles in acclaimed films like "A League of Their Own" and "Sleepless in Seattle," the comedian became a staple on daytime television. She went on to co-host "The View," amongst various other hosting roles, but it all started thanks to her eponymous show, which ran from 1996 to 2002.
However, now that DeGeneres has chosen to leave the talk show game, and with the ever-changing lineup at "The View," there's somewhat of a void in the daytime talk show world. Some die-hard O'Donnell fans want their old favorite to step up and reclaim her place in daytime. And why not? O'Donnell did provide some culturally significant moments while playing host. Take, for example, her 1997 interview with DeGeneres, who had recently caused a stir when she came out as gay. O'Donnell booked her, and they discussed the episode of DeGeneres' short-lived sitcom, in which her character also comes out, per People.
As for stepping back into the spotlight and revamping her cancelled show for another run, O'Donnell has some thoughts. Here's the deal.
Rosie O'Donnell has some hesitations about daytime TV
Nearly two decades after her groundbreaking talk show went off the air, Rosie O'Donnell is fielding questions about bringing it back for a second go. O'Donnell appeared on a July episode "People in the 90s" and dished the dirt on the future of the show. According to O'Donnell, ever since she left, people have been asking her to return to daytime TV. The only problem? O'Donnell thinks her moment has come and gone.
"I feel like for me, it was really of a time," O'Donnell explained. "The time to start a new show for TV now with the social delivery platforms that they have is not a 60-year-old woman. You have to be younger and have the fight in you and be on the cutting edge." Overall, O'Donnell sees the daytime talk show world as a young woman's game. At nearly 60, that's definitely a deterrent.
"I don't think that I would do it again," she said. "Although my career has been so unpredictable that you never know what will happen," she added. While technically anything could be on the table, O'Donnell seems pretty sure that she won't be rejoining the daytime TV game. "I think that the time is past for that for me."