Rosie O’Donnell may be after a full-time late-night role once she fills in for Jimmy Kimmel next month.
O’Donnell, who has hosted several television shows over the years, will take the reins at ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! during the week of August 17, while Kimmel is on a two-month summer break. That could propel her to a bigger role on late-night television, O’Donnell suggested Monday.
“Got this today,” O’Donnell, 64, wrote on Instagram, along with a screenshot of a message from a member of the press writing about her plans. “#Refamous@64.”
According to her post, Globe Magazine is working on a story about how O’Donnell “is eyeing a full-time return to late night after Jimmy Kimmel tapped her to guest host ‘JKL!’ in mid-August, with sources saying she may be willing to go behind his back with ABC executives to make it happen.”
The message continues: “Sources say ABC bosses are already bracing for the attention her hosting stint will bring, aware that Rosie thinks several moves ahead and could try to turn a temporary gig into a permanent takeover. Insiders say the outcome will hinge on how her segments perform online, with Kimmel and his team hoping for buzz in his absence while Rosie is said to want back into the talk show world more than they realize.”
In her post, O’Donnell did not offer any other commentary about the message, in effect keeping fans curious about what’s in store.
Among the shows O’Donnell has hosted or co-hosted were her namesake daytime talk show from 1996 to 2002, her evening talk show from 2011 to 2012, and The View from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2014 to 2015. O’Donnell’s latest television appearances were last year in two HBO Max comedy series: And Just Like That... and Hacks.
As for next month’s gig, O’Donnell, a longtime nemesis of Donald Trump, has said she will use the platform to go after the president as much as Kimmel does. In announcing O’Donnell as his fill-in host, Kimmel pledged that as well.
“As a special treat for our commander in chief, I asked one of his all-time favorites—Rosie O’Donnell—to be here to keep the hits coming,” Kimmel said. “You’re welcome. And all I ask in return, Mr. President, is that you don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”
Speaking about Trump last month at the Tony Awards, O’Donnell told Variety: “If you grew up in New York, you knew he was an a-----e and a liar from day one... I remember when his planes were repossessed off the runways at LaGuardia. I remember when he was broke. I remember when he would call up places and pretend to be his own publicist. He is a con man. He is a narcissist. And he is a psychopath, if you ask me.”
