Is Ellen DeGeneres' show ending? 'The Kelly Clarkson Show' might replace it amid dropping numbers, says report
It looks like 2021 may not be a better year for Ellen DeGeneres after reports surfaced that the disgraced host's eponymous talk show, 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show', could be coming to an end and be replaced with singer, Kelly Clarkson's eponymous show. The reports come after it came out that DeGeneres's show's ratings slipped eight percent according to official statistics.
According to Page Six, with just one year left on DeGeneres's existing deal, the multimillionaire host will enter talks about 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' next month. However, following the accusations over her behavior, the talk show host is struggling to hold on to her fanbase and her previous popularity. Currently, 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' holds the 3 pm slot, however, Clarkson's show could soon be airing then. Clarkson's 'The Kelly Clarkson Show' became the most-watched new daytime talk show in seven years and won three Daytime Emmys in 2020, including one for Clarkson as the best entertainment talk show host. Moreover, Clarkson's show hit a season-high in December 2020 and matched DeGeneres' numbers for the first time.
According to Page Six, the producers of DeGeneres' show at Telepictures want to keep the 3 pm time slot, citing a source who said, "Telepictures knows Ellen wants out, but execs want to keep the time slots and put another host in her place." The source further said, "Kelly would likely get Ellen’s time slots, but Telepictures will fight to keep them." Since DeGeneres owns the rights to her show, it would be impossible to replace her without launching a fresh format with a new host.
'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' is currently in its 18th season, but the uncertainty of its future was apparent before the season began after a probe was launched into the numerous accounts of workspace problems that were reported. Reports of workplace misconduct first emerged in July 2020 after a Buzzfeed report quoting a current employee and 10 former staffers came out where they claimed they faced racism and got fired for attending funerals.
The staffers accused the senior managers of the show of a toxic work environment. Buzzfeed entertainment editor Krystie Yandoli was quoted as saying by NBC News, "The biggest common thread that everyone told me is that what goes on behind the scenes is a far cry from what the show represents in their 'be kind' messaging and what the show and what Ellen DeGeneres herself profits off of."
PR expert Eric Schiffer, chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, has told Fox News in the past that the extent of negative consequences for DeGeneres could be as huge as the end of her career if the internal probe into her show ended up yielding unpleasant results. "She could be perpetrating one of the biggest frauds in American celebrity history," he suggested. "There are now serious investigators looking into the allegations and if the findings are as damning as what has been reported then you could watch the 'Ellen Show' go boom."
Page Six reported that DeGeneres's representatives did not comment on her show's future.