payday!

Rosie O’Donnell, Alec Baldwin Discuss ‘Sick Oprah Money’

Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Alec Baldwin interviewed Rosie O’Donnell on his podcast this week, and they covered the usual O’Donnell biographical topics: growing up without a mom, A League of Their Own, Madonna, 9/11 stuff, child-rearing. And Rosie’s old daytime talk show! O’Donnell says she initially signed on to do the show for five years and wound up doing six — though the show’s backers wanted her to do more. Grab your Koosh balls:

Rosie O’Donnell: They said yes, but in year one it was such a big hit that they said, ‘Please give us two more years. Please. We’ll give you, you know, the Oprah deal.’ So I agreed to do six. Now in my fifth year they said, ‘Please sign –

Alec Baldwin: That’s when I begged you to do the Jackie Gleason spinoff and you turned to me and said? You leaned into me very calmly – and you said, ‘I can’t.’ I’ll never forget this. You leaned into me and said, ‘I can’t.’ You said, ‘I’m about to sign a deal. I’m gonna make, quote, that sick Oprah money.’

Rosie O’Donnell: Exactly.

Alec Baldwin: I remember sitting there going, fuck. That goddamn sick Oprah money.

Rosie O’Donnell: It was. It was sick Oprah money, yeah.

Well, now you know how to start all your salary negotiations from here on out. “I would like sick Oprah money, please.”

Rosie O’Donnell Explains ‘Sick Oprah Money’