Ellen DeGeneres ‘could be replaced by Kelly Clarkson’ while Tifffany Haddish is also ‘in talks’ to take over talk show
ELLEN DeGeneres “could be replaced by Kelly Clarkson” while Tiffany Haddish is also “in talks” to take over the talk show.
The 63-year-old announced earlier this week that she will be stepping away from The Ellen Show after 19 seasons on the air.
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NBC bosses are scouting out their replacement for Ellen’s high-rated hour – and they may have found just that in Kelly Clarkson, according to reports.
TMZ reports: “Sources at the network tell us – long before Covid – NBC honchos launched the Kelly Clarkson Show as the heir apparent to Ellen’s syndicated hour.
“They knew back then Ellen was probably going to pull the plug on the show, and Kelly seemed like a likely successor.”
However, the gossip site also said that Kelly will need to recover from her ratings slump, caused in part because of the struggles of recording during Covid.
If she’s not able to, they’ve said another name would be Tiffany Haddish – who has guest hosted before.
They continue: “Tiffany would probably kill in the timeslot, but we did some checking and no one in her camp is willing to say if she would even entertain the idea of doing a Monday-thru-Friday talk show, which is a real grind.”
Ellen broke down in tears as she officially announced her decision to end her famous talk show earlier this week.
The daytime host immediately got emotional during her monologue confession as she explained that her “instinct” told her the time for The Ellen Show was here.
“Today, I have an announcement to make. This season, season 19, is going to be my last season,” she said on Thursday’s show, according to a preview clip.
The 63-year-old comedian then began to have tears swell in her eyes as she needed a moment to collect herself.
“So the past 18 years, you have to know has changed my life. You all have changed my life.
“I am forever grateful for you for laughing, dancing and sometimes crying. This show has been the greatest experience of my life and I owe it all to you.
“So thank you, thank you thank you,” she repeated with a bow to the virtual audience.
Ellen said that she “thought a lot about this decision” and “sat with it for a while,” adding: “Two years ago I signed a deal for three more years and I always knew in my heart that Season 19 would be my last.”
She added that “19 is a great number,” as the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote and “on the periodic table, 19 is the atomic number for potassium.”
Ellen said she had to trust her instincts that it’s “time” to end the show, stating: “As a comedian, I have always understood the importance of… timing.
“In all seriousness, I truly have felt like next season was the right time to end this amazing chapter.
“In 1997 I knew it was time to come out on my sitcom and live my truth.
“Back then I had a vivid dream that a bird flew out of a cage and set itself free because it needed to get out of that cage and recently I had a dream that a bird- a beautiful bird with bright red feathers came to my window and whispered, ‘You can still do stuff on Netflix.’ And that was the sign I was looking for.”
Despite the show coming to an end, Ellen “promised” her viewers that they will have “a fantastic final season” and “it will be a season where I truly get to say ‘thank you.”‘
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She concluded: “Everyday will be a celebration. There will be a lot of surprises. There will be trips down memory lane, a few detours through ‘why did I wear that’ ally.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ellen told the news to her staff on Tuesday and plans to discuss it with Oprah Winfrey during her Thursday episode.
Ellen will be quitting after her 19th season finishes airing in 2022.
The news came amid allegations of a toxic work environment on the set of The Ellen Show – which the star vehemently denies.