On Wednesday, NBC announced that “The Kelly Clarkson Show” will take over the daytime slot that Ellen DeGeneres held after her talk show ends next year.
“‘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.”
Fox News reported that Clarkson’s show had already been picked up for two more seasons in December. Clarkson was awarded three Daytime Emmy Awards for the first season of the talk show.
“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, said in the release.
In December, TV News Check reported that the Clarkson show “ramped up 10% to a 1.1 live-plus-same-day national Nielsen rating in the week ending Dec. 13 and leapt into a tie with veteran Ellen DeGeneres for third place among talk shows for the first time this season.”
DeGeneres announced she would be bringing her daytime television series to a close earlier this month. The news came after a scandal mounted last year when staffers spoke out about the difficult workplace environment allegedly created at the show.
As The Daily Wire reported, after 180 shows broadcast per year, DeGeneres said she is ready for something different. “When you’re a creative person, you constantly need to be challenged – and as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it’s just not a challenge anymore,” DeGeneres told The Hollywood Reporter.
DeGeneres had considered leaving the show in the past but ultimately decided to stay on for a few more seasons. Warner Bros.’ Unscripted TV President Mike Darnell was encouraging DeGeneres to keep going with it as recently as late last month, but she is ready to step away.
The Daily Wire reported that in July 2020, one employee and ten former employees of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” came forward with accusations that the environment of the show behind the scenes was far from the show’s motto, “Be Kind.”
The Daily Wire reported:
The employees spoke to Buzzfeed News, which delineated various charges that were made. One former employee asserted, “That ‘be kind’ bulls*** only happens when the cameras are on. It’s all for show. I know they give money to people and help them out, but it’s for show.” Another bitter comment, “I think it is a lot of smoke and mirrors when it comes to the show’s brand. They pull on people’s heartstrings; they do know that’s going to get likes and what people are going to go for, which is a positive message. But that’s not always reality.”
Some of the accusations included insensitive comments about race, being fired after returning from a month-long absence at a mental health facility, and receiving a warning after creating and publicizing a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for medical costs that weren’t covered by the show’s health insurance.
At the end of July, Buzzfeed News reported, “According to dozens of men and women who work behind the scenes, the office is a place where sexual harassment and misconduct by top executive producers runs rampant.”
“The claims cost DeGeneres 1.1 million viewers who stopped watching the show over the last year, according to Nielsen data released in March. Her viewership was up to 2.6 million at one point but is now down to 1.5 million viewers,” the Daily Mail reported.