Rosie O'Donnell Not Worried About Ratings On OWN Network

With ratings dropping 49 percent after its debut, you'd think Rosie O'Donnell might be concerned about the future of her new show on Oprah Winfrey's OWN network, but not this TV host. The optimistic O'Donnell isn't at all worried, believing that like all new shows, it's just going to take a little time before Oprah and she can pop the corks on a bottle of celebratory champagne.

Rosie responded to me via Twitter:

@Rosie
Rosie O'Donnell

@NaughtyNiceRob - DONT WORRY ROB !!!! i love OWN - we have just begin - patience ... if u build it ...

October 18, 2011 4:13 pm via web Reply Retweet Favorite

Rosie has put a lot of the line -- including moving her family to Chicago -- in order to return to TV, and she is determined to make it a success.

Thankfully, she has a patient boss.

"TV has changed so much since Rosie had her own show," an insider tells me. "Now the market is so fragmented and so many different cable stations exist that it's unfair to compare her new show with her old show's ratings. The most important thing is having a boss that believes in her and is willing to give the new show time to find an audience, which will not happen overnight. And you couldn't wish for a better boss than Oprah."

Lisa Ling, who also works for Oprah at OWN, echoed that sentiment this week, telling me on the set of "New York Live" that building a network from scratch isn't easy, and because of Oprah, they have a huge spotlight on them. However, Lisa does confirm that Oprah has a long-term plan for the network.

FOLLOW NAUGHTY BUT NICE ROB ON TWITTER

Comments

[Susan Kasi]

12:33 PM on 11/05/2011

Rosie is kidding herself and is being "optimistic" in order to keep her high paying / high risk job, plain and simple.

The fact is Rosie and most of the other "celebrities" (they have on OWN) are has beens who lost their "star power" a long time ago. They are all hoping (and undoubtedly praying) that their new shows will be their big chance at a "come back"....but according to the ratings and reviews that ain't happening.

The bottom line is OWN's failure is inevitable. This is how the laws of KARMA work when you STEAL other peoples work and let your ego(s) get out of control.

[somefun98]

06:31 AM on 10/25/2011

Rosie's 15 minutes of fame is finally over. thank heavens.

[cuckooforcocopuffs]

01:42 PM on 10/24/2011

Rosie's radio show was awesome. It was real conversations about real issues and with her very close friends on the show, it was filled with hilarious private jokes and the chemistry of people who have known each other for many years. She said she wanted the new tv show to be the same. This celebrity interview dribble like The Tonight Show and Letterman is nauseating.

Then the Oprah lifeclass.....(insert vomit) is unbearable.

[CJ Arabia]

11:39 AM on 10/24/2011

Rosie is the worst and she openly supports Chris Brown. She's not funny, not talented, not a good person. There is LITERALLY no reason to watch her show.

[DaniFoxy]

08:36 AM on 10/24/2011

Rosie should be worried about being run over by my car... wait, it's an Audi... run over by my friend's car.

[kerao]

04:18 AM on 10/24/2011

Oh my heavens, it's the obnoxious commercials that prevent me from even watching the show. That annoying screech, which is her regular voice, is intolerable.

[ATOM]

12:02 AM on 10/24/2011

Watched the first show ( or at least the first few mins...Cant stand Russell Brandt, lost me when he came on) and was expecting something big ......couldn't stand the dancing with the shirtless guys.......it's all just is too much........she showed everyone her dirty laundry since her days of being "queen of nice" and it just doesn't show well in her show now......because you know she is dying to talk politics (progressive, leftist politics)...and you know Oprah does not want her to go there, but I liked her fights withDonald Trump and her nasty side when she did speak....I'm just sayin.......she will never be on top again ( that is not a pun)...

[jmoser1973]

03:13 AM on 10/24/2011

i don't think she is concerned about being on top again. She just wants to do well with a show that she has more control of then the last.

[piperflyer]

11:43 PM on 10/23/2011

"The optimistic O'Donnell isn't at all worried...."

Bullock excrement.

[RCnDC]

11:04 PM on 10/23/2011

First time I ever agreed with "The Trump."

[Mausinn]

08:12 PM on 10/23/2011

I personally don't care too much for Rosie, but I wish her all the luck with her show.

[jmoser1973]

03:16 AM on 10/24/2011

same here

[hw3821]

12:14 PM on 10/24/2011

Rosie would probably do better on another show because OWN is not very good anyway with what is being presented.

[Knowledgeseeker]

07:51 PM on 10/23/2011

people can't expect a cable network to be successful overnight.

[stevebond]

07:33 PM on 10/23/2011

Why is the show not in HD? I can't watch tv anymore unless it's in HD. Call me spoiled but I don't watch black and white tv either.

[Jorge Escondido]

12:27 PM on 10/24/2011

You want to see Rosie O'Donnell in High Definition? Well it takes all kinds, personally I couldn't take one second of the lebanese bufforilla in HD, they should put it in Low Def, maybe even purposfully blurred as a public service.

[Susan Kasi]

11:37 PM on 11/10/2011

I must correct you Mr. E...Rosie is of Irish / Italian descent, according to her she has no
"Lebanese" blood.....I'm sure that most real Middle Eastern people would find that offensive. Please double check your info. before labeling other's in a "derogatory" manner. But other than that I agree with and like your comment.

[sparkybrown7877]

04:10 PM on 10/23/2011

And just like any other show, will be cancelled without notice, duh!

[RJVegas]

01:29 PM on 10/23/2011

Nice to see the snarky comments....idiots! Hateful comments just to see your nastiness in print. I watched a few of the new Rosie shows, and I like them! There are parts of Ellen's show I don't like and there are parts of Rosie's I don't like...but that's MY opinion. If you don't like it, don't watch it, express your opinion and leave the nastiness out of your "review."

[Mindy Czech]

01:21 PM on 10/23/2011

I really like Rosie and loved her show on Sirius/XM. I wish she would have just stayed on that. She could discuss topical issues at length and had some really good co-hosts and guests.

[toocoldout]

08:18 PM on 10/23/2011

Rosie now discusses topical issues as the host of OWN's documentary club which is fabulous. It's not just her talk show she's hosting on OWN

[Mindy Czech]

09:36 PM on 10/23/2011

I haven't seen that. I still listen to repeats of her show on my Sirius app, because they have a channel that is nothing but Rosie reruns. She really is smart and funny, her show had a good format, and I wish that she was able to do both.