View source for The Rosie O'Donnell Show

{{short description|Television series}}
{{distinguish|The Rosie Show}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image        = The Rosie O'Donnell Show (Telepictures) logo.svg
| genre        = Variety talk show
| creator      = [[Rosie O'Donnell]]
| runtime      = 42 minutes
| location     = [[NBC Studios (New York City)|NBC Studios]]<br>New York City
| presenter    = Rosie O'Donnell
| starring     = Rosie O'Donnell<br>[[John McDaniel (musician)|John McDaniel]]
| country      = United States
| network      = [[Broadcast syndication|Syndicated]]
| first_aired  = {{start date|1996|6|10}}
| last_aired   = {{end date|2002|6|27}}
| company      = KidRo Productions<br>[[Telepictures|Telepictures Productions]]<br>[[Warner Bros. Television]]
| num_seasons  = 6
| num_episodes = 1,193
| language     = English
}}

'''''The Rosie O'Donnell Show''''' <!-- do NOT change to "was" -->is<!-- remains as "is" per [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Television/Style guidelines#Lead paragraphs]] --> an American daytime [[variety show|variety]] television [[talk show]] created, hosted, and produced by actress and comedian [[Rosie O'Donnell]]. It premiered on June 10, 1996, and concluded after six seasons on June 27, 2002.

This talk show was taped in [[GE Building|Studio 8G]] at NBC's Rockefeller Center studios in New York City, New York, and was produced and distributed by KidRo Productions, [[Telepictures|Telepictures Productions]], and [[Warner Bros. Television]]. The talk show won five [[Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show|Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Talk Show]].

==History==

===Debut===
On June 10, 1996, ''The Rosie O'Donnell Show'' premiered, and proved successful. It was a replacement for ''[[Carnie!]]'', which aired from September 6, 1995, to February 23, 1996.<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-12-06-ca-11074-story.html Would Viewers Truly Miss 'Carnie'?], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', December 6, 1995.</ref> Warner Bros Domestic Television Distribution prematurely concluded ''Carnie!'' so that ''The Rosie O'Donnell Show'' could premiere in advance of the [[fall schedule]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-06-09-ca-13072-story.html |title=H-e-e-e-e-r-e's Rosie |last=Strauss |first=Robert |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=June 9, 1996 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230706012809/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-06-09-ca-13072-story.html |archive-date=July 6, 2023}}</ref>

===1996–1999===
In October 1996, a fire broke out at [[30 Rockefeller Center]] in [[New York City]]. As a result, the show resumed taping for four days in the [[Ed Sullivan Theater]] (where [[David Letterman]] taped his [[Late Show with David Letterman|show]]). The first episode resuming taping in the regular studio featured a beginning scene reminiscent of ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]'', in which Rosie awakens from a dream.

O'Donnell often spoke of her admiration for [[Barbra Streisand]], and in November 1997, Streisand (who rarely grants interviews) agreed to a full hour special. The set was covered in flowers and Streisand memorabilia. Streisand's husband, actor [[James Brolin]], was also interviewed. Before this interview, O'Donnell received a brief letter from Streisand which she discussed on-air and held up very briefly. She described Streisand as being very caring in the letter, but would not read it on-air. It was too late, however, as a television camera caught a brief shot of the letter, and within days, savvy viewers distributed its contents. O'Donnell later expressed dismay that viewers would do that. Streisand was interviewed again in 1999 at her home, shortly before her Timeless tour.

On May 19, 1999, a month after the [[Columbine shootings]], which prompted O'Donnell to become an outspoken supporter of [[gun control]] and a major figure in the [[Million Mom March]], O'Donnell interviewed actor [[Tom Selleck]], who was promoting a film ''[[The Love Letter (1999 film)|The Love Letter]]''. After a commercial break, O'Donnell confronted him about his recent commercial for the [[National Rifle Association|NRA]] and challenged him about the NRA's position on the use of [[assault rifles]]. According to Selleck, the two had agreed not to discuss the topic before his appearance on the show.<ref name="Tom Selleck News">{{cite web
 | title=Rosie Doesn't Play "Nice" With Selleck
 | publisher=[[IMDb]]
 | date=20 May 1999
 | type = StudioBriefing
 | url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000633/news
 | access-date=2007-07-11}}</ref> O'Donnell maintains that Selleck and his publicist had been informed that the topic would be discussed. She stated at the end of the interview that it had not gone the way she had hoped it would have gone, but went on to say: "I would like to thank you for appearing anyway, knowing that we have differing views. I was happy that you decided to come on the show. And if you feel insulted by my questions, I apologize, because it was not a personal attack. It was meant to bring up the subject as it is in the consciousness of so many today."<ref name="NRA Winning Team">{{cite web
 |title      = TRANSCRIPT: Tom Selleck Visits "The Rosie O'Donnell Show"
 |publisher  = NRA Winning Team
 |url        = http://www.nrawinningteam.com/norosie.html
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/19991004011259/http://nrawinningteam.com/norosie.html
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-date = 1999-10-04
 |access-date = 2007-07-11
}}</ref><ref name="Otherone">{{cite web
 | author =Otherone 
 | title=Transcript of Tom Selleck & Rosie O'Donnell's NRA Discussion
 | publisher=JLRweb
 | url=http://www.geocities.com/rofaq/nradebate.html
 | access-date=2007-07-11| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20080302075026/http://www.geocities.com/rofaq/nradebate.html
 | url-status =dead
 |archive-date=2008-03-02}}</ref>

===2000–2002===
In April 2001, O'Donnell had a two-week absence from her show because of a [[Staphylococcal infection|staph infection]]. She had guest hosts take her place, including [[Joy Behar]], [[Meredith Vieira]], [[Barbara Walters]], [[Kathy Griffin]], [[Marie Osmond]], [[Jane Krakowski]], [[Ana Gasteyer]] and [[Caroline Rhea]].

On the May 11, 2001 episode, [[Maxwell Jacob Friedman]] appeared on the show as a five year child to sing "[[You Are My Sunshine]]" after his parents submitted a tape of him singing it in an operatic style while eating a pear. After a video of his performance resurfaced in 2019, Friedman (in-character) denied the appearance before admitting it, stating that Rosie O'Donnell was trying to cling onto her fading star and that he "didn't have the nerve" to tell [[Britney Spears]] (who appeared on the same episode) that she "wasn't going to make it as a singer". During his interview, when asked about what he wanted to be when he grew up, he said he would be an opera singer and a wrestler, and stated that [[Bill Goldberg]] and [[Dwayne Johnson|The Rock]] were his favorite wrestlers at the time.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ravens |first=Andrew |date=2019-04-02 |title=MJF Reacts To Footage Of 'Rosie' Appearance Resurfacing |url=https://www.sescoops.com/news/mjf-reacts-to-footage-of-rosie-appearance-resurfacing |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=SE Scoops |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bimm |first1=Morgan |last2=Schwartz |first2=Andi |date=2022-06-01 |title=Opening up the pit: Negotiating a punk ethos with PUP |url=https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/punk_00112_1 |journal=Punk & Post-Punk |language=en |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=213–227 |doi=10.1386/punk_00112_1 |issn=2044-1983|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Throughout the final season O'Donnell called on [[Caroline Rhea]] to host the program every Friday. Rhea's growing popularity as a guest host gave her the green light to host her own daytime talk show the following year, supposedly succeeding O'Donnell. However, Rhea's program lasted for only one season and was replaced by ''[[The Sharon Osbourne Show]]''. <ref name="BC030113">{{Cite news|date=January 13, 2003|pages=1, 64|work=Broadcasting & Cable|title=Warner finds homes for Sharon and Ellen|id={{ProQuest|225242658}} |first=Paige|last=Albiniak}}</ref>

{{see also|The Caroline Rhea Show}}

{{see also|The Sharon Osbourne Show}}

===Ending===
After a six-year run, the show ended in 2002 when O’Donnell chose to leave to spend more time with her children.

The final live episode aired on May 22, 2002. It featured an opening musical ensemble number from [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], starring [[Vanessa L. Williams|Vanessa Williams]] and [[John Lithgow]] (who were both appearing on Broadway at the time). The guests were [[Nathan Lane]] and [[Christine Ebersole]]. The show's final segment featured a retrospective video made by Rosie that blended scenes from her personal life with her talk show, accompanied by the song "[[Both Sides Now]]" sung by [[Joni Mitchell]]. The conclusion of the show featured a clip of [[Tom Cruise]] mowing a lawn, who then stops to look at the camera and says, ''"Rosie, I cut your grass, and here is your lemonade."'' (A reference to one of the show's running gags, O'Donnell declaring her adoration of Tom Cruise.)

Remaining new, but pre-taped, episodes continued to air until June 27, 2002, the last with guest host Caroline Rhea. Repeats aired until August 30, 2002, the last of which was a repeat of the broadcast from May 20, 2002.

===Charity fundraiser===
On March 22, 2020, the show was revived for a one-episode fundraiser in support of [[Entertainment Community Fund|The Actors Fund]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2020/03/rosie-odonnell-livestream-coronavirus-covid-19-special-raises-600000-dollars-for-actors-fund-1202890460/ |title=Rosie O'Donnell Livestream Special Raises $600,000 For The Actors Fund During Coronavirus Pandemic |last=Evans |first=Greg |work=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]] |date=March 23, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406173610/https://deadline.com/2020/03/rosie-odonnell-livestream-coronavirus-covid-19-special-raises-600000-dollars-for-actors-fund-1202890460/ |archive-date=April 6, 2020}}</ref> Produced by O'Donnell and [[Erich Bergen]], the episode was broadcast live on [[John Gore Organization|Broadway.com]] and the website's [[YouTube]] channel.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/rosie-odonnell-shoe-coronavirus-fundraiser-1203541866/ |title='The Rosie O’Donnell Show' Returns: The 11 Most Memorable Moments From the Coronavirus Fundraiser |last=Malkin |first=Marc |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=March 22, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200323031318/https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/rosie-odonnell-shoe-coronavirus-fundraiser-1203541866/ |archive-date=March 23, 2020}}</ref> It featured interviews and music performances with numerous celebrities.<ref name="Forbes">{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jerylbrunner/2020/03/22/for-one-night-only-rosie-odonnell-revives-her-show-featuring-sarah-jessica-parker-audra-mcdonald-kristin-chenoweth-annette-bening-billy-porter-and-dozens-more/ |title=Rosie O'Donnell Revived Her Iconic Talk Show And Raised More Than $600,000 For The Actors Fund |last=Brunner |first=Jeryl |work=[[Forbes]] |date=March 22, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200429185948/https://www.forbes.com/sites/jerylbrunner/2020/03/22/for-one-night-only-rosie-odonnell-revives-her-show-featuring-sarah-jessica-parker-audra-mcdonald-kristin-chenoweth-annette-bening-billy-porter-and-dozens-more/#579f3b691848 |archive-date=April 29, 2020}}</ref> Over $600,000 was raised for The Actors Fund as a result of the episode.<ref name="Forbes"/>

==Format==
Topics often discussed on the show include [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], [[children]], extended [[family|families]] and charitable works, people and organizations.

The program was also known for featuring extended production numbers from Broadway shows which were often seen as too time-consuming on other shows. O'Donnell was known for keeping a light-hearted nature during the show as she playfully interviewed her guests and interacted with her audience. Commonly, O'Donnell would throw [[Koosh ball]]s into the audience throughout the show; this gag expanded through the years to include automated Koosh-projecting devices in the ceiling, as well as O'Donnell firing at a moving target.

The house band was led by pianist [[John McDaniel (musician)|John McDaniel]], and was dubbed "The McDLTs".

Unique introductions by a member of the audience were made at the beginning of each episode. (Hi! I'm [insert audience member], from [insert resident's address] and this is ''The Rosie O'Donnell Show''. On today's show: [insert guests and/or topics]. Hit it, John!). After the animated intro, the audience member would then say, "And now, here's Rosie!" as O'Donnell made her entrance through the curtain. O'Donnell commented on the DVD release of first season highlights that producers were not keen on this opening but Rosie insisted upon it as she enjoyed being able to talk to a "real person" every show.

===''Kids Are Punny''===
A long-running segment of the show involved telling jokes that children from around the United States mailed into the studio. These jokes were eventually compiled into two books (and eventually a TV special) entitled ''Kids Are Punny''; proceeds from the book went to children's charity programs.

===Product endorsements===
O'Donnell's endorsement of the [[Tickle Me Elmo]] played a large part in the huge popularity of the toy. Likewise, she served [[Drake's Cakes|Drake's]] snack cakes to audience members on ''The Rosie O'Donnell Show'', which helped contribute to increased sales of Drake's cakes.

In February 1997, the mouthwash brand [[Scope (mouthwash)|Scope]] released a list of the "least kissable celebrities," to which O'Donnell was ranked number one. O'Donnell responded by promoting rival mouthwash brand [[Listerine]] on her show. Listerine thanked O'Donnell by donating $1000 to O'Donnell's charity For All Kids every time a guest greeted O'Donnell with a kiss. Listerine donated more than $150,000.<ref>[https://www.deseret.com/1997/3/24/19302459/rosie-o-donnell-teaches-scope-a-lesson Rosie O'Donnell teaches Scope a lesson], ''[[Deseret News]]'', March 24, 1997.</ref>

==Reception==
{{expand section|date=November 2013}}
Early on, O'Donnell was dubbed "The Queen of Nice" by [[Newsweek]] magazine for her sweet personality, which was in stark contrast to [[Tabloid talk show|many other talk shows of the era]].{{Cite needed|date=August 2025}}

The ''[[New York Daily News]]'' labeled it the best new syndicated talk show of 1996.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/1996/12/31/critic-knows-best-worst-of-96/ |title=Critic Knows Best—& Worst—of '96 |last=Bianculli |first=David |work=[[New York Daily News]] |date=December 31, 1996 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250802112352/https://www.nydailynews.com/1996/12/31/critic-knows-best-worst-of-96/ |archive-date=August 2, 2025}}</ref>

===Awards and nominations===
The show won multiple [[Emmys]] such as five times [[Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show]] (1998-2002) during its run.

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="width:99%;"
|+ {{sronly|Awards and nominations}}
|-
! scope="col" style="width:12%;"| Award
! scope="col" style="width:2%;"| Year{{efn|Indicates the year of ceremony}}
! scope="col" style="width:22%;"| Category
! scope="col" style="width:22%;"| Nominee(s)
! scope="col" style="width:4%;"| Result
! scope="col" style="width:2%;" class="unsortable"| {{Ref heading|multi=no}}
|-
! scope="row"| [[GLAAD Media Award]]s
| style="text-align:center;" | [[14th GLAAD Media Awards|2003]]
| Outstanding Talk Show Episode
| "Adopted by Gay Parents"
| {{won}}
| style=text-align:center;"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2003/film/news/not-so-glaad-mixed-reviews-for-rosie-1117884308/ |title=Not so GLAAD: Mixed reviews for Rosie |last=Rooney |first=David |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=April 8, 2003 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250204005727/https://variety.com/2003/film/news/not-so-glaad-mixed-reviews-for-rosie-1117884308/ |archive-date=February 4, 2025}}</ref>
|}

==Home media==
A compilation of highlights of the show's first season was available for sale in September 2008, exclusively from the [[Home Shopping Network]]. The DVD runs 90 minutes and contains Rosie O'Donnell commenting while watching clips of archived footage. Included are Tom Cruise's first visit, [[Fran Drescher]]'s parents reviewing Florida restaurants, and the incident in which [[Donny Osmond]] made a fat joke at Rosie's expense.

In 2021, O'Donnell began making interviews from the show available on her personal [[YouTube]] channel until November 19, 2024 when the channel was terminated due to copyright issues.

==Notes==
{{notelist|30em}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0115338}}
* [http://www.jumptheshark.com/topic/rosie-odonnell-general-comments/20707 Jump The Shark – The Rosie O'Donnell Show]

===Season-by-season breakdown===
The following site is no longer online, but was backed up by the [[Wayback Machine]] caching service:

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160412014321/http://www.acmewebpages.net/rosie/episod96.htm 1st Season (1996-97) Guests]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160414070248/http://www.acmewebpages.net/rosie/episod97.htm 2nd Season (1997-98) Guests]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160306222001/http://acmewebpages.net/rosie/episod98.htm 3rd Season (1998-99) Guests]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160414070427/http://www.acmewebpages.net/rosie/episod99.htm 4th Season (1999-00) Guests]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160414070153/http://www.acmewebpages.net/rosie/episod00.htm 5th Season (2000-01) Guests]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160309050055/http://acmewebpages.net/rosie/episod01.htm 6th Season (2001-02) Guests]

{{Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Talk Show}}
{{U.S. daytime talk shows}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosie O'Donnell Show, The}}
[[Category:First-run syndicated television programs in the United States]]
[[Category:1990s American television talk shows]]
[[Category:1996 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:2000s American television talk shows]]
[[Category:2002 American television series endings]]
[[Category:Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show winners]]
[[Category:Rosie O'Donnell]]
[[Category:Television series by Telepictures]]