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After decades on the air, Ellen DeGeneres’ time on TV might be coming to an end--and once it does, there’s a chance Kelly Clarkson could take over her coveted time slot.
Following some serious accusations by former employees and people who have interacted with the talk show host over the years, reports say that DeGeneres is struggling to hold on to her audience. According to Page Six, with just one year left on her existing deal, the 62-year-old host is set to enter talks about The Ellen DeGeneres Show sometime next month.
The publication claims that official stats show that Ellen’s ratings have slipped 8 percent over the past couple months. Because of this drop, The Kelly Clarkson Show--which currently airs after Ellen in most syndication markets — could be the best choice take over the 3 p.m. slot if the long running show does come to an end.
Page Six goes on to say that NBC chiefs reportedly wooed the pop star Clarkson for years before she actually launched her show in September 2019.
Once it finally hit TC screens across the country, The Kelly Clarkson Show became the most-watched new daytime talk show in seven years, winning three Daytime Emmys last year, including one for Clarkson as best entertainment talk show host. Just last month, the show hit a season high and matched DeGeneres’ numbers for the first time.
Since Ellen owns the rights to her show, it is impossible to replace her--so execs would have to launch a fresh format with a new host. With. that being said, producers at the Ellen show still want to keep the prestigious time slot, with sources saying, “Telepictures knows Ellen wants out, but execs want to keep the time slots and put another host in her place.”
This news of Ellen’s possible departure from her talk show comes following multiple accusations against the host.
DeGeneres responded to the allegations over the summer, saying that the quick growth of the show made it impossible for her to oversee everything happening behind the scenes.
“On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness — no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect,” she wrote in a statement. “Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry. Anyone who knows me knows it‘s the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show.”
Since the show’s return following these stories of workplace misconduct, ratings have been down.