CHICAGO (AP) — Rosie O’Donnell gets her wish: Russell Brand will be the first guest on her new talk show.

The Oprah Winfrey Network announced Thursday that the comedian and actor will appear on the Oct. 10 premiere of “The Rosie Show.”

O’Donnell has said she’s fascinated with Brand and called him a genius. She previously said she would love to have him as her first guest.

The show will air on the Oprah Winfrey Network, which promises Brand will be “one of many notable celebrities” during the show’s first two weeks.

O’Donnell will tape in Chicago’s Harpo Studios, former home of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” until it ended in May after 25 years.

Brand was featured in the movies “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” ”Get Him to the Greek” and “Arthur.”

Londoner Brand battled heroin and cocaine addiction. He is also a recovering alcoholic and has admitted to being a sex addict.

He has abstained from drug use since 2002 and is now a patron of the addiction charity Focus 12. His abandonment of drugs and alcohol was instigated by his agent, John Noel, after Brand was caught taking heroin in a bathroom during his Christmas party.