NBC Execs Set To Crown Kelly Clarkson As New Talk Show Queen After Ellen DeGeneres Quits
May 12 2021, Published 1:17 p.m. ET
Kelly Clarkson has been being groomed by NBC executives for years to take the baton from Ellen DeGeneres.
According to sources, NBC staffers are “ecstatic” by the news that Ellen will be ending her talk show once and for all. In the past, they had gotten their hopes up at different times only to have Ellen decide to extend her contract at the last minute.
For the past couple of years, we’re told NBC executives have been prepping Kelly to take over for Ellen ever since she launched her show in 2019.
Sources say, “Everyone felt that Kelly was so easy to work with and was the perfect replacement for Ellen.” At the time, many believed Ellen was on the way out because her contract was set to expire.
However, Ellen shocked everyone when she decided to extend her contract in May 2019. She agreed to host her talk show until 2022.
Many staffers felt Ellen made the decision to re-up her contract out of her fear of Kelly taking over. Sources say Ellen has an ego that didn’t allow her to bow out gracefully.
Insiders feel Ellen was trying to “block” Kelly was becoming the hot new talk show host. They got the sense she didn’t want anyone stealing her spotlight.
Sources close to the situation tell Radar, “Nobody likes Ellen. They have been wanting her gone forever. Kelly is a pleasure to work with and treats everyone on set kindly."
Earlier today, Ellen made the announcement she wasn’t coming back for another season. She confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter.
“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,” she told the outlet.
Ellen failed to mention her show has been tanking in the ratings for several months. The show took a nosedive and lost over 1 million viewers after her former employees said her talk show was a toxic workplace.