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Rosie O’Donnell moving into Oprah’s Harpo studio

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Rosie O’Donnell is making a move on Oprah Winfrey’s turf as the comedian readies her talk show, which will be based in Oprah’s former Chicago studio.

‘I’m delighted to welcome Rosie to the studio I’ve called home for so many years,’ Winfrey said in a statement to the Associated Press.

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O’Donnell will be hosting a one-hour daytime talk show on Winfrey’s OWN Network this fall that will be shot on the Harpo Studios lot, which opened in 1990 and was home to ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show.’

‘I can’t wait to do my show from Chicago,’ O’Donnell, an Emmy-winning daytime talk-show host herself and guest host on ‘The View,’ saId in a statement. ‘It’s a dream come true ... beyond the beyond.’

O’Donnell also sent a video message to the Harpo staff welcoming herself aboard saying:

‘Hello people of Harpo, it’s me, Rosie O’Donnell, star of ‘The Flintstones.’ ... I just wanted to say: Hi, I’m coming to Chicago. Yes, I am, and I’m thrilled about it. And I get to work with all of you, who have created magnificent television for two decades-plus. ... It’s a huge thrill for me, and I’m beyond the beyond. And thank you, Oprah. And thank all you people there, some of you who are going to be sticking around and helping us. ... And that’s it: Thrilled, thanks, and I hope I didn’t blow the surprise. Figure you already knew. Right?’

Winfrey’s network also will be home to original programming featuring Lisa Ling (‘Our America’), Shania Twain (‘Why Not?’) and a documentary about Chaz Bono (‘Becoming Chaz’).

On Jan. 7, OWN premiered ‘Your OWN Show: ‘Oprah’s Search for the Next TV Star,’ a reality competition in which the top prize is a six-episode show on the network.

The finale of Oprah’s 25-year juggernaut of a talk show will air May 25.

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— Nardine Saad
twitter.com / NardineSaad

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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