Who is Elaine Welteroth? The Talk's new host plans to 'tackle' more politics to overtake 'The View' in ratings
'The Talk' is planning to "tackle" more politics with its new host Elaine Welteroth to compete with its rival show 'The View'. The decision has reportedly been taken amid the show's plummeting ratings. The Talk announced last week that Elaine and Amanda Kloots will be joining the show as full-time hosts to replace Eve and Marie Osmond.
A show insider told The Sun that after 'The View' led 'The Talk' in ratings, Elaine has been asked to focus on hard-hitting topics during the show in an effort to boost its ratings.
"With Elaine on the panel we can tackle politics and conversations about racial injustice, police harassment and Black Lives Matter more. We can have those difficult conversations with someone so politically active and connected on the show," the source told the outlet. Elaine has previously interviewed political stalwarts like former President Barack Obama, and has attended multiple events alongside President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris.
"She's making important statements. She has a voice that she will use," the source continued. "Politics and important discussions have taken The View to the top of the ratings so it's time we elevate the conversation to a place that’s more impactful." A spokesperson of CBS also told the outlet: "Everyone, including the Network and Studio, are excited for the new look of The Talk in 2021 with a panel including Elaine Welteroth and Amanda Kloots. They are smart, successful, well-spoken, fun and strong woman who aren’t afraid to speak both their mind and heart. The new executive producers bring a fresh energy and the show will continue to cover what is going on in the world that is relevant to our audience, with a compelling mix of personalities and opinions."
The show's other hosts, which include Sharon Osbourne, Carrie Ann Inaba, Sheryl Underwood and Eve, have not shied away from discussing race issues and politics either. The hosts were seen getting emotional when they discussed George Floyd's killing in May. They also covered developments on the case in multiple episodes. The hosts have also discussed the death of Breonna Taylor and other cases linked to police brutality.
The producers of the show are "panicked and frustrated" after their ratings reached 1.5 million, which is half of The View's 3 million, according to Page Six. "The View has been growing at a huge rate during the Covid lockdown, and The Talk is literally the lowest-rated show in the whole CBS lineup," an insider told the outlet. "At one point, The Talk and The View were only 30,000 viewers apart.”
The Sun, however, quoted a CBS insider saying: "Show producers and execs are not panicked; the show is not in jeopardy of getting canceled. The Talk does much better than a number of other competing daytime shows."
Late Broadway star Nick Cordero's wife Amanda has also been hired as the show's permanent host to replace Marie, the show had announced last week. Amanda has previously made multiple appearances on the show. The move came after Marie, 61, released a statement last month that she was leaving the show to spend more time with her family and to focus on other projects. However, The Sun previously reported that the Marie was allegedly fired from the talk show after only one season because of tension with her co-hosts on the set.