Winokur is the latest performer to benefit from the nationwide exposure of Dancing with the Stars. Several contestants have gone on to appear on Broadway, including John O'Hurley and Lisa Rinna in Chicago and Mario Lopez in the current revival of A Chorus Line. Winokur may eventually find herself competing for TV viewers with Marie Osmond, a DWTS alum who has also announced plans for a syndicated talk show.
After a rather shaky start on Dancing with the Stars, the bubbly Winokur and her partner, Tony Dovolani, have turned in strong performances in the last two weeks, avoiding the dreaded "bottom two." Seven of the original 12 couples remain on the program. Winokur recently announced that she and her husband, writer Judah Miller, are expecting a baby this summer via a surrogate mother.
Variety reports that Winokur's talk show will be the first big project for Sony reality/syndication head Holly Jacobs, who joined the company in January after a run at Fox TV Studios. Jacobs previously launched Wayne Brady's talk show for Buena Vista, as well as the half-hour version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.