Celebs You Forgot Had A Talk Show

Talk shows have been a staple of television since its advent — in fact, they predate television, since the first talk shows were on radio — and they continue to be a popular format even in the digital age. Still, today's TV talk show slate cannot compete with the heyday of the genre, back in the 1980s and 1990s. In the '80s, tabloid talk shows erupted in popularity, and they continued to dominate for decades thereafter. Many who grew up in that time period have memories of watching Maury Povich, Sally Jesse Raphael, or Ricki Lake after school. The current daytime landscape is filled by everyone from Kelly Clarkson and Drew Barrymore to Steve Wilkos and Dr. Phil.

The debut of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 1986 really changed the game, and networks have been trying to find the next Oprah ever since. Winfrey was not the first big daytime show — "The Phil Donahue Show" started in 1970, for example — but she became the barometer of success. Networks were able to find some other long-lasting alternatives, such as "The Montel Williams Show" (1991-2008) and "Jerry Springer" (1991-2018), which kept the tabloid format long after Winfrey went highbrow. There was also "Maury," the longest-running daytime show, as well as "Geraldo," "Ricki Lake," "The Jenny Jones Show," and "Sally." But for every major talk show, there have been two or three failed ones. Here are some of the celebrities you forgot had their own talk show.

Katie Couric is not the only serious journalist to take on a daytime talk show and fail. Gayle King tried it with "The Gayle King Show" and lasted only one season. "Megyn Kelly Today" also lasted a season, and "The Charles Perez" show lasted two. Perhaps one of the biggest failures in this arena has been "The Jane Pauley Show," which many had assumed would take off due to the popularity of its host, Jane Pauley. After all, Pauley hosted "The Today Show" for over a decade and had been working as an on-screen journalist since 1970, so there is no question she has the charisma and charm needed to front a talk show.

"A show topic might have a lofty reason behind it, or it might be more my own personal agenda," Pauley told Entertainment Weekly in the lead-up to her show, which premiered in 2004. "But I want viewers to come back to the show every day thinking, 'You know, I got an idea from watching this show. And I will never look at my underwear drawer the same.'" We guess people did not need help with the underwear organization, because "The Jane Pauley Show" lasted only 41 episodes before the powers-that-be pulled the plug. While her talk show just did not work, we are glad Pauley found further successful projects, mostly notably her hosting duties on "CBS News Sunday Morning."

There is no questioning that Bethenny Frankel is a top-tier Real Housewife. We cannot even fault her for placing herself on a hypothetical "Mount Rushmore of Real Housewives" — which she did on "Today" in 2022 — because she truly belongs at the top of the heap. As a talk show host, however, Frankel was just fine. People love Frankel for telling it like it is, but warm and fuzzy she is not. And for the type of chat series she was aiming for, Frankel needed to be a little bit warmer and a little bit fuzzier. The daytime program never did well enough in the ratings to be a huge player like "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," hosted by one of the "Bethenny" executive producers, Ellen DeGeneres.

"Bethenny" ran between 2012 and 2014. According to Deadline, the show was dropped from 70% of its affiliates to make space for an incoming show from Meredith Vieira, which was the nail in the coffin for Frankel's daytime career. In the years since her talk show, Frankel has remained in the public eye by way of her podcast, her work with her charity BStrong, and a number of TV projects including a return to "The Real Housewives of New York City" for Seasons 7 through 11 and a short-lived HBO show called "The Big Shot With Bethenny." She is currently appearing on "Money Court" alongside "Shark Tank" investor Kevin O'Leary.

After playing Andrea Zuckerman on "Beverly Hills: 90210" for five seasons, actor Gabrielle Carteris parted ways with the primetime soap opera and decided to try her hand at something completely different. Per The Virginian-Pilot, Carteris moved on to daytime. Her show, "Gabrielle," made its debut in 1995, alongside a slew of other talk shows hosted by celebrities. At the time, Carteris told SFGate that she was uninterested in making shocking for the sake of shocking TV and that she planned to keep things classy and sophisticated.

Alas, "Gabrielle" was cancelled after just one season due to poor ratings. In an interview with Working Mother, Carteris admitted to having been deeply upset by the show's demise. "When I got the call saying the show was canned, I broke down and cried," she said in the article. "My husband was standing next to me and said, 'I love you, honey, and I'm proud of you.' And that was worth more than anything." Carteris has continued to act, but is probably now equally as well-known for having been the president of SAG-AFTRA from 2016 to 2021.

Yet another ill-fated 1995 talk show — and this one also has the totally unnecessary exclamation point in its title — "Carnie!" was cancelled just a few weeks after "Danny!" got the chop, per The New York Times. Hosted by Carnie Wilson, one third of musical trio Wilson Phillips and the daughter of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, the show was very much in the salacious TV genre of the 1990s. Topics covered included "Your Flirtatious Ways Are Ruining Our Relationship" and "Help! My Ex is Ruining My Life," which were not quite sensationalized enough to compete with the likes of "Jerry Springer" and "Maury."

Carnie Wilson has always had a big, boisterous personality and so she made sense as a host on paper, but the daytime TV landscape was simply too crowded and "Carnie!" too indistinct to make it. Unfortunately, some viewers did not quite love what she brought to the table. "It's considered impolite to kick someone who appears to be down," wrote the Los Angeles Times just before the show's cancellation. "Yet no one merits kicking more than the host of shrill, obnoxious 'Carnie,' whose ratings–despite being best among new daytime talk shows this season–still may not ensure its survival, so high are audience demands and fiscal stakes in this arena." Carnie has remained in the public eye since the show's cancellation, taking on many different gigs including being a frequent guest co-host on "The Talk" and appearing alongside her band on Season 8 of "The Masked Singer."

It is hard not to love Harry Connick Jr., who oozes both charisma and relatability whenever he is on screen. And yet, a good personality is not enough to sustain a talk show in the media-saturated culture in which we live. Not even awards cred can do it, as proven by the six nominations and two wins that Connick Jr.'s show, "Harry," racked up at the Daytime Emmy Awards during its two-season run. "Harry" made its debut in 2016 and was cancelled in February 2018. "I have truly loved doing this show and appreciate your welcoming me into your homes every single day," Connick said, per The Hollywood Reporter.

The network certainly had high hopes for Connick Jr., who had amassed a following through his music, acting, and "American Idol" judging duties. Plus, two of David Letterman's former "Late Show" head writers, Eric and Justin Stangel, co-created "Harry," which added to the expectations. Even Letterman himself was optimistic when he told Variety, "I think you could put him anywhere on TV. He has enormous appeal." But again, appeal is not enough. Lucky for us fans, Connick Jr. has remained active in both music and television. His latest album, "Alone With My Faith," came out in 2021, the same year he appeared in "Annie Live!," and he is set to be a judge on "Australian Idol" beginning in 2023.

Tony Danza is a Hollywood legend who has been working in show business for over four decades. As a youngster, Danza paired acting with his professional boxing career, and his character on "Taxi" was also a boxer. Danza is also known for his work on "Who's The Boss?," which earned him three Golden Globe nominations. He has appeared in many other television series as well as in films and on stage, including multiple stints on Broadway. That is not to say that everything Danza has done has been a success. For instance, his sitcom "The Tony Danza Show" ran for just five episodes back in 1997 before being cancelled.

Despite his sitcom's failure, Danza was not soured on the show's name and opted to also call his daytime talk show "The Tony Danza Show." The live talk show launched in 2004 and lasted for two seasons before it was taken off the air. "It was living on the edge, and it was so much fun," Danza said in an interview with the Television Academy. "And I was pretty devastated when it ended because ... it's not like you're playing a part, you're playing you, and they rejected you." In the time since his talk show ended, Danza has continued to act in projects such as "Don Jon," and has experimented with reality television, most notably with "Teach: Tony Danza," which saw him become a high school English teacher.

Duos do really well as morning show hosts but in a more traditional talk show format, successful co-hosts are hard to come by. Yes, Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest have made it work, as have all the other combinations of hosts that show has seen, but there are not many others. Married couple Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker did not have much success with their series, "The Boris & Nicole Show," and the same could be said about George Hamilton and ex Alana Stewart when they tried with "George & Alana." So, it is not just Donny and Marie Osmond who failed at the task, but perhaps the expectations were higher for the lifelong entertainment partners.

The Osmond siblings began hosting their talk show, "Donny & Marie," in fall of 1998. Though the duo have a long track record of working together — on the 1970s variety show "Donny & Marie," on albums, and on a Las Vegas residency that lasted more than a decade, for example — and enlisted the iconic Dick Clark as a producer, the talk show lasted only two seasons. Despite not lasting long, the show was a hit on the awards circuit, earning 12 Daytime Emmy Award nominations. Both Donny and Marie have worked steadily since their talk show went off the air, but it is Marie who has been steadily trying to break back into the talk show game. She had her own short-lived talker, "Marie," which ended after a season, and also spent one season co-hosting "The Talk."

Jeff Probst is a rarity in Hollywood — a popular celebrity who has kept the same gig for decades without any hint of decline. Probst began hosting "Survivor" in 2000 (he is also a producer) and, over 40 seasons later, is still at the top of his game. As a reality show host, he is the best of the best, but as a talk show host, things just did not click. "The Jeff Probst Show" made its debut in September 2012 and, though Probst came across as affable as ever, it was not long for this world. The show was cancelled in February 2013. "I'm super bummed but extremely proud. The truth is all shows come to an end. Ours just ended a decade sooner than we had hoped," Probst said in a statement, per Entertainment Weekly.

The biggest issue that Probst faced was the fierce competition from other newbie talk shows. The incoming slate included talkers from Katie Couric, Steve Harvey, Ricki Lake, and Trisha Goddard — and that is on top of the returning daytime talk shows, of which there were plenty. "We believe Jeff is an incredible talent, and that he and his dedicated producing team delivered quality episodes throughout the season," said a studio statement, per Entertainment Weekly. "Unfortunately, the audience isn't there to support a second year." In addition to the ongoing success of "Survivor," Probst has been a guest co-host for shows such as "Live with Kelly and Ryan" and "The Kendall K. & Friends Show."

Most pop culture fans know that Sharon Osbourne was a talk show host, given that she spent eleven seasons as a co-host of "The Talk" on CBS. They might also remember that Osbourne left "The Talk" in early 2021 after an on-air discussion about race led to an internal investigation into her conduct on set. Fewer people are aware that Osbourne tried her hand at hosting years before "The Talk" producers called. Based upon the notoriety she gained from her family's reality show, "The Osbournes," Osbourne inked a deal to host "The Sharon Osbourne Show" starting in the fall of 2003.

It should be noted that "The Osbournes" was still on the air and thriving when Osbourne's talk show began. Still, not even that could keep it alive longer than one season since both ratings and reviews were terrible. "Osbourne's fame is based on, well, what exactly? Exposing her family's dysfunction to a national audience? Doing a spectacularly bad job of raising her children? That may get you a guest shot on a talk show, but I'm not sure why it recommends you as a host," wrote USA Today's renowned former TV critic Robert Bianco. "Indeed, the only reasons to watch Sharon are if you are insatiably drawn to failure or if you have some medical need to have your nerves jangled." In addition to being a host and reality star, Osbourne has been a judge on both "The X Factor" and "America's Got Talent."

Megan Mullally was magical as Karen Walker on "Will & Grace," earning every one of the many awards — including two Primetime Emmy Awards and four Screen Actors Guild Awards — that landed on her mantle. In her other projects, she has been hit or miss. Hits include her guest appearances on "Parks and Recreation," "Happy Endings," and "Web Therapy." As for misses, none of them were bigger than "The Megan Mullally Show," Mullally's hapless daytime talk show. Only 71 episodes of the talker were filmed before its demise.

"The Megan Mullally Show" debuted in 2006, fresh off the heels of the end of "Will & Grace" (well, the first end). According to the AP (via The Toronto Star), Mullally's desire to become a host started after she subbed for David Letterman in 2003. "It had never occurred to me that hosting a talk show was a job that you could actually have," she told the AP. "It had seemed like a very far-fetched profession. Like being an astronaut.” While it turned out to not be as far-fetched a career move as she had assumed, Mullally did not excel as a talk show host. "The Megan Mullally Show" did not even make it a full season, but a mere five months.