Will Tiffany Haddish Take Over For Ellen DeGeneres?
Move over Ellen DeGeneres, because Tiffany Haddish could be coming for your crown. DeGeneres made the somewhat surprising announcement on May 12 that she would be ending "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" after Season 19 in 2022. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the comedian explained, "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 elaborated a little more in an emotional monologue to open "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" that same day, explaining she "truly... felt like next season was the right time to end this amazing chapter."
There's been multiple reports speculating why DeGeneres really called time on the show, as the announcement came just months after "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" was hit with allegations of a "toxic" work environment in a bombshell July 2020 report by BuzzFeed News. However, the comedian denied the controversy was behind her decision to end the show, which has been on air since 2003. "It almost impacted the show. It was very hurtful to me... But if I was quitting the show because of that, I wouldn't have come back this season," she explained. "So, it's not why I'm stopping."
When "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" leaves the air after almost 20 years, there will be a big space for a new daytime talk show. Could Haddish be poised to take over? Keep scrolling for the details.
Tiffany Haddish is reportedly 'favorite' to take over from Ellen DeGeneres
Tiffany Haddish could be getting her own talk show to potentially fill the slot left open by "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." According to Page Six's source, "[Haddish] is a favorite" and "top of the list to get a daytime show" because "she has humor and empathy in spades" and is "a fresh voice." The star has notably filled in for DeGeneres as a guest host on multiple occasions, most recently in April.
As for why no one else could take over "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" under a new, likely eponymous, title, that's because DeGeneres owns the rights to the series, which means the network would have to create a whole new show instead of slotting in a new host.
Though nothing's been confirmed just yet, it was claimed before DeGeneres announced the end of her show that Kelly Clarkson could potentially land the coveted time slot with her popular NBC daytime talk show, "The Kelly Clarkson Show." In January — amid initial rumblings DeGeneres could finish her show after Season 19 — a source claimed to Page Six that "Telepictures knows [DeGeneres] wants out, but execs want to keep the time slots and put another host in her place." They also alleged "[Clarkson] would likely get [DeGeneres'] time slots, but Telepictures will fight to keep them."
We'll have to wait and see what happens here, but there's no doubting Haddish would be the perfect candidate for her own show.