After axing Rosie O’Donnell’s talk show and laying off 30 employees, Oprah is hoping good friend Maria Shriver will save her faltering network.
Oprah Winfrey‘s OWN network is failing to launch, so after pulling Rosie O’Donnell‘s talk show due to low ratings just two days ago, she’s recruiting Maria Shriver to boost her lackluster ratings, reports RadarOnline.
“Oprah knows she needs to pull a rabbit out of the hat, literally,” a close source tells Radar. “She has been in discussions with Maria for a very long time about doing a news/special interest driven show for OWN. However, Oprah has ramped up the pressure in the past several weeks. Maria definitely wants to get back to work, but she has to make sure that it’s the right project.”
Considering Maria still has to attend to her 15-year-old son Christopher in Los Angeles, she won’t be interested in carrying her own talk show, says the source. However, doing specials for OWN aren’t out of the question.
“Oprah called Maria recently, and said in her most serious voice, ‘Look Maria, I’m sinking, and I need you to do a reality show for OWN.’ She carried on for 2-3 minutes about what the show would be called. Oprah is quite the actress, and Maria was just silent, and Oprah eventually burst out laughing, and said, ‘Ha, I had you, didn’t I? I would never ask you to do a reality show, but if that shouldn’t stop you from volunteering to do it,’” the insider tells the site.
As much as Maria would like to help the 58-year-old former talk show queen, she has to weigh her options.
“Maria just can’t give Oprah an answer yet,” the source confides. “She has been offered book deals and several offers from the major networks. Maria needs to do what is best for her, and she just doesn’t know if working for her close friend is a good idea; she values her friendship with Oprah so much. Oprah was Maria’s first non-Kennedy friend that she ever made when she was a young adult. Maria will choose her friendship over work.”