Oprah Offers Sarah Ferguson Talk Show on Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN)

Earlier this year, Oprah Winfrey announced she was ending her talk show, Oprah. Billionaire Oprah Winfrey will focus her time on building a new cable network instead. The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) is due to hit the airwaves in January 2011, much to the relief of Oprah fans.

The new network, however, is in need of content, and rumor is that Oprah has offered the former Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, her own talk show on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

The offer comes after Sarah Ferguson appeared on Oprah's current talk show last month. Sarah Ferguson's mounting debt problems became the topic of celebrity gossip, when she was taped offering access to her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, for approximately US $750,000. The only problem with her plan turned out to be that her 'client' was a reporter, who leaked the story.

A teary Sarah Ferguson, on Oprah, said that she was sorry, but that her crushing debt had driven her to making the questionable deal.

When selling access to her ex failed, Sarah Ferguson turned instead to cost-cutting to balance her budget and stave off bankruptcy. Since hitting up her ex, Prince Andrew was clearly not an option; the royal family has recently also taken a "pay" cut in the face of England's emergency budget, Sarah Ferguson let her personal staff go, saving a reported US $60,000 per month.

Then, reportedly took a luxury vacation to recover from the ordeal.

If nothing else, Sarah Ferguson's debt problems have made the former royal resourceful. She has managed to parlay her celebrity from a brief royal marriage into book deals, and celebrity endorsement and sponsorship deals. Children's book royalties and Weight Watchers endorsements obviously do not keep Sarah Ferguson in the manner to which she is accustomed.

If rumors of Oprah's offer are true, and Sarah Ferguson will host a new talk show on the Oprah Winfrey cable network, fortune has once again smiled upon the former Duchess of York. Backed by Oprah Winfrey, the Oprah Winfrey cable network, and any talk show that Sarah Ferguson may or may not host on the network, has a better than average chance of success.

Oprah Winfrey has certainly seen more success, than failure in her burgeoning media career, so it's easy to take her choice of talk show host on faith. Sarah Ferguson may not be an obvious choice for a talk show host, though even with her history of outrageous antics and questionable choices, but there is something eminently likeable about her.

At the very least, Oprah is guaranteed publicity, with Sarah Ferguson on the payroll.

And if Sarah Ferguson, can't make a go of the talk show? She can always try selling access to her media royalty boss. If a meeting with Prince Andrew is worth ¾ million dollars, just imagine how much is an endorsement by Oprah Winfrey, Queen of the Media Midas touch, worth.

Sources:

www.huffingtonpost.com

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