Rosie O’Donnell talks ‘toxic’ daytime talk shows — including her own

nypost.com:

Rosie O’Donnell once said, her job is “mostly to entertain and be funny” – but now, she’s focusing on kindness, too.In a new interview, the 61-year-old reflected on her time in the daytime talk show industry, giving some insight into what really happened behind the scenes.“We had a really wonderful working environment,” O’Donnell claimed of her own production, the “Rosie O’Donnell Show,” which ran from 1996 to 2002, while speaking to Entertainment Tonight.

She continued, “But, you know, we were the first of that kind of show… [and] because we were the first one, and we had done it, and we had gotten so much acclaim in such a short time, you know everybody was happy.”The comedian also revealed that she cared about her staff who worked on her talk show, giving them off in the summers and even making sure that there was a nursery on staff for their children.While speaking to the outlet, she touched on the fact that sometimes, when there is animosity in the workplace, it’s what goes on off the set that can be an “influence” or even “exacerbate” the situation.“I also think it depends on what else you have going on in your life,” O’Donnell admitted. “[What] you have to focus on and to ground you.

It’s hard to stay grounded in the Showbiz world.”She stressed that it’s important to treat everyone who works with you with kindness.O’Donnell, who was a moderator on the popular daytime show “The View” for the 2006-2007 season, is no stranger to speaking out about a potentially hostile workplace.Last month, she appeared on Brooke Shields’ podcast, “Now What?

With Brooke Shields,” where she revealed that it was something that she would “ever do again.”“I know this — it’s not the best use of my talent to get in a show where I have to.