Oprah OKs the virulent star’s return to daytime TV though tell us if you think she will last

By Jeffrey Jolson

Yes Rosie and Oprah have both won Emmys

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 8/5/10 – Always controversial Rosie O’Donnell makes her return to TV on the new Oprah cable network, OWN.

“Rosie is an undeniable talent who has captivated TV audiences for nearly 20 years,” said Oprah Winfrey. “She’s a true original, who brings her authentic voice, dynamic energy and pure passion to everything she does.”

OWN confirmed today that it had secured Rosie’s new talk show, based in NYC. It will actually pay for it, as opposed to O’Donnell’s original plan of going the long and winding road to broadcast and syndication.

Rosie’s last major paying TV gig was on ABC’s “The View.”

The shock talker left after a string of controversial remarks and a feud with ViewMaster Barbara Walters.

“I have a little post-traumatic stress disorder when I watch it. I get flashbacks like Vietnam vets,” Rosie said in a curved “apology” to Walters at the time. “Truthfully, in spite of the fact that she now loathes me, I still do enjoy her, though I’m not sure if I’m going to be a guest on that show again.”

Rosie’s greatest hits include referring to Chinese people as “ching-chong,” accusations of being anti-Catholic and a bigot by the Church League while comparing the Republican party to the pedophiles in the church and having an on-screen View feud with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck over Rosie’s claims that Bush and the US were the terrorists in the Iraq war.

Whoopi Goldberg replaced her on The View before her contract expired. She wanted to replace Bob Barker on The Price is Right, but that never happened. She has since been a blogger and has a radio show. She came out as a lesbian, claiming “I’m a dyke!”

“It’s an honor and a privilege to work with Oprah Winfrey on her network,” said Rosie O’Donnell, self-proclaimed Queen of Nice. “I’m excited to be back on daytime television.” The flower girl had her own daytime talkie between 1996 and 2002.

OWN is a joint venture between Winfrey and Discovery Communications while O’Donnell will exec produce the one-hour show along with former Warner Bros. syndication execs Dick Robertson and Scott Carlin.