Rosie O’Donnell To Guest Host On ‘The Talk,’ Further Fueling Julie Chen Moonves Replacement Rumors
Rosie O’Donnell is headed to The Talk—at least for one day. The outspoken 56-year-old comedian and former co-host of The View posted to Twitter to announce that she will be a guest host on the rival CBS chatfest on Friday, Sept. 28.
O’Donnell posted a photo of herself alongside The Talk stars Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne, and Sheryl Underwood as she told fans about her surprising co-hosting stint. (Rapper Eve is also a host on the show.)
The move to bring Rosie O’Donnell in as a guest host comes amid longtime moderator Julie Chen Moonves’ sudden departure from the long-running CBS talk show. An insider told The Daily Mail that CBS is eyeing O’Donnell as Chen’s permanent replacement because she has an impressive resume and is good at “creating moments.”
“She has a proven track record, from her own show to her time on The View, and despite being polarizing she brings in viewers. Rosie can be a bit intense when it comes to politics, but she is incredibly good at connecting with an audience, and would be an ideal fit.”
It doesn’t hurt that Deidre Dod, the former talent booker on Rosie’s past talk show, recently started working as the talent producer on The Talk.
this friday i will be guest hosting with the ladies of @TheTalkCBS – dont miss it !! ?????? pic.twitter.com/TxfbydksqA
— ROSIE (@Rosie) September 26, 2018
According to Deadline, Rosie O’Donnell is a frontrunner to fill Chen’s spot on The Talk, so her guest hosting stint will likely be a way to measure her chemistry with the other co-hosts. While other contenders include Dancing with the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba and longtime Talk guest host Carnie Wilson, O’Donnell has a massive amount of talk show experience under her belt.
In addition to her self-titled talk show which aired from 1996 to 2002, Rosie O’Donnell became part of the hosting panel on The View in 2006. O’Donnell left the ABC daytime show in 2007 after a massive on-air fight with fellow host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, but returned in 2014, only to exit in 2015 due to circumstances in her personal life. O’Donnell also hosted a short-lived talk show on OWN in 2011.
CBS insiders say there is no set timeline to replace Julie Chen Moonves, who hosted The Talk for eight seasons and suddenly resigned from the show following sexual misconduct allegations against her husband, former CBS president and CEO Leslie Moonves. The Talk will likely rely on guest hosts and wait until later this year to make a final decision on Julie Chen Moonves’ permanent replacement. But if O’Donnell’s guest hosting stint goes well, fans can expect to see a lot more of her on the CBS talk show.
The Talk airs weekdays on CBS.
