Go Ricki! Go Ricki!

She might have come in third place this season on Dancing with the Stars behind Rob Kardashian and the winner, war hero J.R. Martinez. But the 43-year-old still tops the list as one of our favorite talk show hosts of all-time. So we were pleased as punch to learn that the mother of two is poised to return to daytime with a new show in September.

From 1998 through 2004, Ricki ruled the TV airwaves and was second to only the Queen of Daytime herself, Oprah Winfrey. But with Oprah off the air, Ricki may have her core demographic, 25-54 year old women, on lock. “Many of you grew up with me,” she says in the video below. “I hope you’ll stay in touch with me. We’ll learn about each other, and I’m so looking forward to getting back on the air with a show that you guys are needing to see.”

But the question remains, can anyone really replace Oprah?

“The question is not who can be the next Oprah,” says Fox 20th‘s Senior Vice President of Programming and Development. “The better question is who can now serve that audience and address the issues they are interested in.”

Only 25 years old when she first started on daytime, Ricki promises that the revamped show will reflect her newfound maturity.  “I want to spark ideas and conversations and inspire people to take active roles in their communities, relationships and their well-being,” Ricki said. “I have definitely grown as a person since I put down the mic in 2005, and I couldn’t be happier to share and continue the journey with both my existing fans and an entirely new generation of women.”

Are you excited for the return of Ricki?

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