New Show for Rosie O'Donnell? Is She Replacing Oprah?

According to several news sources, Rosie O'Donnell is now positioned to take over the role of Oprah Winfrey once the successful talk show host leaves daytime TV. This, of course, has created a slew of speculation, including questions like, "Can Rosie O'Donnell really replace Oprah?"

My short hand answer to that is: No. But Oprah could never replace Rosie, either. My long-term response can be found here:

Rosie O'Donnell and Oprah Winfrey are two separate woman who have both had talk shows and have both demonstrated their obvious talents. Over the years, both have come in to their own, so to speak. O'Donnell is historically known for being funny, straight-to-the-point, candid and unafraid to stir controversy. Oprah is known for asking the tough questions and working with both celebrities and everyday people.

For the mere reason that they're different women, I personally feel it would be unfair to pit O'Donnell and Oprah against each other to see which woman is "better" at the talk show game. For me, and I would argue it'd be the same for countless others; it's easy to recognize that both have their own strengths when it comes to daytime television. Oprah is a legend and nobody could ever fill her shoes. The same can be said of O'Donnell, who is the recipient of six daytime Emmy awards.

Now, is it suspicious that O'Donnell's potential new show centers around the same kind of topics that Oprah's does? Sure, but television networks have obviously found a model of talk TV that works and so they're obviously going to stick with it. And really, how many countless other daytime talk show hosts discuss the same issues?

I'm sure O'Donnell and her crew will think of ways to set her show apart from the crowd. As a former Rosie show watcher and avid fan of her time spent on The View, I couldn't be more excited with this news. Rosie O'Donnell is one funny, talented lady and I -- along with many, I'm sure -- appreciate her ability to speak her mind, and add humor to TV segments while maintaining a down-to-Earth vibe. It will be exciting to see if this new show comes to life. Should it pan out, I will definitely tune in to see her take on a new kind of daytime talk.

To end, I'd like to reiterate one last thing: Rosie O'Donnell and Oprah Winfrey are two separate women. Both have their accomplishments and, it goes without saying nobody will ever, ever replace Oprah. It's just not possible.