Well, it’s official, Ellen DeGeneres’ replacement has been named! Though I was rooting for the hilarious Tiffany Haddish, who was reportedly in discussions to take over the show — as it turns out, American Idol Winner turned daytime talk maven Kelly Clarkson has been named as Ellen’s successor.
According to People.com, Kelly Clarkson is set to take over for Ellen DeGeneres, who will exit the show after its 19th season next year. To be clear, Kelly is a successful daytime talk show host in her own right, but Ellen’s show was a mega success and hands down the biggest on NBC’s lineup. Ellen was the queen of daytime talk in one of the most coveted time slots on TV. People.com has confirmed that Kelly will take over that time slot in 2022 —one of the boldest moves in TV since the Late Night Wars with Letterman and Leno (though Kelly and Ellen are not enemies, as I understand it.)
I happen to think this is a remarkable decision for Kelly to take over this show. Coming on the heels of the Ellen PR nightmare, this is a great move. Ellen’s past year was marred with accusations by her staff of inherent meanness and mistreatment from the star. There was alleged discrimination on set from Ellen Show execs, and there were even claims of sexual harassment amid the production team.
Ellen’s legacy is quite tarnished, and she’s decided to leave the show and salvage whatever value is left of her brand. She’ll be fine, though, as she exits with an estimated 370 million dollars in the bank.
On the other hand, Clarkson stands to ascend even higher with her adoring audience, built-in, since the day she captured millions of hearts as the very first American Idol Champion in 2002. She has brilliantly parlayed her success to major pop star status, selling millions of albums and branding herself as the neighborly, girl-next-door pitch-woman for top household brands like Wayfair, even launching her own product lines.
Add to that, The Kelly Clarkson Show already earns excellent ratings on its own merit, so this move now expands her brand massively as she is poised to become the new queen of the NBC daytime talk show schedule.
The The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news and shared the following statement from Valarie Staab, president of NBCUniversal Local,
“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,
The Kelly Clarkson Show has such mass appeal because we have watched Kelly go from TV show contestant to megastar and seemingly never losing herself in the throes of Hollywood. Adding to her relatability, she is currently going through a high-profile divorce, which even further endears her to millions of people, many of whom are sharing a similar experience.
Tracie Wilson, executive VP of NBCUniversal Syndication Studios, added to the outlet regarding Kelly’s takeover, “It is a treasured part of NBCUniversal Syndication Studios offering and we are proud to partner with the NBC Owned Television Stations group to continue the show’s success.”
Congratulations Kelly Clarkson! We’ll be watching …oh and Good luck Ellen! Call me girl if you need help spending that 370 million!
Read more at People.
