Kelly Clarkson to replace Ellen DeGeneres' daytime slot
LOS ANGELES - "The Kelly Clarkson Show" will replace Ellen DeGeneres' longtime talk show's daytime slot in most markets, Fox News has learned.
NBC announced the news on Wednesday just weeks after revealing the "Ellen DeGeneres Show" will end in 2022.
"'The Kelly Clarkson Show' has earned its dominance in daytime by hitting every benchmark for success since it premiered as the most-watched talk show in seven years," the network said in a press release. "The hourlong program, hosted by Grammy Award-winning artist and America’s original idol, Kelly Clarkson, features a mix of celebrity guests and everyday people doing extraordinary things in their communities. It airs in 100% of the country across 200 stations and is positioned to headline daytime in leading time periods by Fall 2022. "
Clarkson, whose talk show was already renewed for an additional two seasons in December, received three Daytime Emmy Awards for the very first season of her show, making her a very obvious in-house choice to take over for DeGeneres once her show wraps at the conclusion of Season 19.
"These are remarkable achievements for a talk show in its second season. We look forward to Ellen DeGeneres’ 19th season paired with Kelly Clarkson for what is sure to be a blockbuster year. By 2022, ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’ will be the star of our daytime entertainment schedules and an asset to our early afternoon newscasts," Valari Staab, President, NBCUniversal Local, added in the release.
In this image released on October 14, Kelly Clarkson speaks onstage at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards, broadcast on October 14, 2020 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
Earlier this month, DeGeneres confirmed that she will not be bringing back her long-running daytime talk show following the conclusion of the most recent season in 2022.
DeGeneres said she informed staff of the decision on May 11. The Emmy-winner, 63, sat down with Oprah Winfrey shortly after the announcement went public to chat about the difficult decision.
"There were tears. It was really hard because I do love everyone here. We do have a relationship," she said. "You know, it's every single day for me. I come in every day and this is my life and theirs too. But I wanted to give them a year. I wanted to give them enough time to know. I didn't want to do it the last year I was here. I wanted to give them a year to celebrate with me and stay with me."
Despite empathizing with her staff, the news comes the same year that DeGeneres' show was marred by allegations of having a toxic workplace environment. In her interview with Winfrey, DeGeneres noted that she felt the entire situation was "orchestrated" and "misogynistic" but stopped short of naming anyone in particular.
The news that Clarkson will take over the coveted time slot with her show puts an end to speculation that another star might be taking the reins following DeGeneres' departure. Comedian Tiffany Haddish recently responded to rumors that she was being tapped to fill Ellen's hosting duties after guest-hosting in the past.
"I haven't commented on it because ain't nobody that give those jobs talk to me about it," the comedian admitted, according to Entertainment Tonight. "The reason I've even been popping up guest-hosting ‘Ellen’ is because she wanted some days off."
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