It's the end of an era, as Ellen DeGeneres has announced that her talk show is coming to an end, a development that comes on the heels of a ratings slump and a workplace controversy. Of course, with the longtime talk show host vacating her spot, it will leave a huge hole in the daytime schedule, so the real question now is, who will replace the talk show once its timeslot becomes available? Well, NBCUniversal reportedly has two lofty ideas floating around.
NBC is reportedly mulling multiple options when it comes to replacing Ellen, which has been making headlines for a while now. According to TMZ, sources say network heads launched The Kelly Clarkson Show as the heir apparent to Ellen DeGeneres’ coveted timeslot. The news outlet also claims NBC heads were aware of the talk show host’s desire to leave the formerly top-rated show, which is apparently why they tapped the beloved Voice coach to headline a talk show back in 2019.
Another name being floated around is comedic actress Tiffany Haddish. Sources claimed NBC is looking at Haddish to headline a new daytime talk show. The move isn’t surprising, given the actress-comedian has actually guest-hosted for Ellen DeGeneres on a number of occasions, during which the host has been absent for varying reasons. Each of her appearances reportedly resulted in a ratings boost for the talk show. All in all, it would appear that network heads have circled the A-list star as one of their top choices.
Tiffany Haddish’s name may be a surprise given NBC’s reported push for Kelly Clarkson's existing show to take Ellen DeGeneres’s spot. But according to NBC sources, The Kelly Clarkson Show has been struggling during the COVID pandemic. The challenge has been producing a daily show with remote guests, which is apparently causing the show’s ratings to drop this season. Its status as an Ellen replacement will depend on how well it does in the ratings over the next few months. Executives are reportedly hoping the sophomore daytime show will experience a surge in popularity once regular production resumes.
If things don’t work out with Kelly Clarkson, Tiffany Haddish would likely be NBC’s top choice. Sources close to Haddish said the comedic actress couldn’t say if she would entertain the idea of a daytime talk show given the day-to-day grind of doing a daily show. Given the number of projects she has lined up, the actress-comedian may not even have the time for a talk show.
Having announced her show’s conclusion in 2022, Ellen DeGeneres and her show have experienced a rough year. Besides allegations of a toxic workplace and Degeneres' own COVID diagnosis, The Ellen DeGeneres Show has experienced a rating slump that continued into 2021. Since announcing her plans to end the show, the host has spoken more on the workplace allegations, claiming the controversy was orchestrated. So DeGeneres’ heir apparent might have an uphill battle to recover the timeslot’s ratings.
Whether it’s Kelly Clarkson or Tiffany Haddish, it will be interesting to see who takes over Ellen DeGeneres’ coveted timeslot once the series ends. It would honestly be nice to see another name in the mix, just to make things interesting, but we'll just have to wait and see between now and The Ellen DeGeneres Show's final sign-off.
