Many people believe that hosting a talk show is easy because all you have to do is sit on a comfy sofa and ask simple questions of celebrity guests. But judging by the large number of celebrities who have tried and failed, it’s a lot harder than it looks.
If Kelly Clarkson or Drew Barrymore used their existing fame to springboard into a successful chat show host career, Kris Jenner couldn’t have created the same success for the less fortunate “Kris” talk show. And Ricki Lake is in the same situation as Kris Jenner, whose eponymous show “The Ricki Lake Show” was canceled after one season due to low ratings and viewership.
What are the true reasons for the cancellation of these celebrity talk shows? Maintaining a successful celebrity talk show, whether daytime or late at night, comes with a set of challenges in the highly saturated market. Additionally, while celebrities have enjoyed successful careers in television and film, they don’t always carry that charm when they’re on their own talk shows. However, those are just two of the dozens of causes that led to the program’s failure.
So, scroll down to find out more about the real reasons these celebrities’ talk shows got canceled.
#1 Kris Jenner’s Name Wasn’t Enough To Hold Up Her Talk Show
Source: Fox
Kris Jenner’s eponymous talk show was expected to succeed because of her experience turning her entire family into reality TV celebrities. Still, Kris’s famous name and history weren’t enough to hold up the series. The show was canceled after a six-week test run. Frank Cichas, senior vice president of programming at Fox, said about his thought on Kris’s show: “When the camera was on she looked not just like a deer in the headlights, but like a deer that already got hit.” Ouch!
#2 Critics Didn’t Approve Of “Brand X With Russell Brand”
Source: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Although Russell Brand is renowned for his distinctive personality, not everyone likes the quirky comedian. In 2012, the actor launched his late-night television series “Brand X With Russell Brand”, which included his frank comments. FX bravely decided to take a chance on Brand, but they later canceled the show due to poor reviews. Brand’s “tasteless jokes” were denounced by the Daily Mail, while the Los Angeles Times reported that not even the live audience seemed amused. Brand X lasted for two seasons before being terminated.
#3 Ellen Ended Her Show Shortly After Toxic Work Allegations
Source: James Devaney/GC Images/Getty Images
With a staggering 171 Daytime Emmy Award nominations, 61 of which it won, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” enjoyed tremendous success. But after toxic workplace allegations, the program lost approximately a quarter of its more than 4 million viewers. In 2020, adverse feedback regarding the working environment of the production process became public, which prompted WarnerMedia to launch an investigation. DeGeneres apologized and promised to change the atmosphere after three executive producers were dismissed as a consequence. The host said that season 19 would be the last one in May 2021. She told The Hollywood Reporter that the series was “just not a challenge anymore.”
#4 “The Ricki Lake Show” Tanked After One Season
Source: Anne Cusack/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Ricki Lake should be able to succeed in the talk show industry. The actress’s wildly popular chat show from the 1990s ran for more than ten years! But “The Ricki Lake Show” which marked Lake’s comeback to daytime television eight years later, is a failure. Even though Lake served as both the show’s host and producer, she was unable to compete with newer talk shows. Due to poor ratings and viewership, 20th Television decided to terminate the show after one season.
#5 Anderson Cooper’s Rebranding Attempt Didn’t Work
Source: Warner Bros. Television
Although Anderson Cooper is known as an anchorman, he chose to try his hand at hosting a daytime talk show in 2011. Cooper served as both the show’s host and executive producer, which gave him some leeway when the first season was met with low ratings. Cooper and his team redesigned the set, and changed its name from “Anderson” to “Anderson Live”. Warner Bros. Television terminated the show after two seasons due to poor ratings even with these adjustments.
#6 “The Rosie Show” Didn’t Attract Enough Viewers
Source: OWN
The fact that Rosie O’Donnell had her own talk show in the 1990s and it ran for five years contributed to her notoriety. Only O’Donnell’s withdrawal from that talk show caused it to terminate, but that wasn’t the case with her second talk show, “The Rosie Show” debuting on OWN in 2012. Its ratings weren’t as high as those of her prior programs. Instead, top guests started rejecting offers to come back. OWN ended the program after just one season due to low ratings.
#7 “FABLife” Couldn’t Go On Without Tyra Banks
Source: ABC/Disney
Tyra Banks is no stranger to hosting television shows. After leading the highly successful reality series America’s Next Top Model, Banks took on daytime television. “The Tyra Banks Show” won several Emmys throughout its five seasons, making her an obvious choice to host “FABlife”. Model Chrissy Teigen, fashion editor Joe Zee, interior designer Lauren Makk, and YouTube celebrity Leah Ashley served as co-hosts on Banks’ upcoming program. Despite having such a strong cast, the program couldn’t continue once Tyra Banks left midway through season 1. ABC/Disney announced the following January that FABlife wouldn’t have a second season.
#8 Harry Connick Jr.’s Show Gradually Declined
Source: NBCUniversal Television Distribution
Harry Connick Jr. is a multitalented and charismatic celebrity, so he was given his own talk show. Harry debuted in 2016 and garnered five Daytime Emmy Award nominations! The program received conflicting reviews despite its popularity. Throughout the two seasons that the show aired on television, the ratings dropped. When NBCUniversal Television announced that they wouldn’t be renewing it, Connick Jr. maintained a positive outlook. The musician said that he was very proud of the show and promised to “continue to find avenues to uplift our country.”
#9 Queen Latifah’s Award-Winning Show Flopped… Twice
Source: Allen Berezovsky/WireImage/Getty Images
Rapper, actress, and producer Queen Latifah got her first talk show in 1999. “The Queen Latifah Show”, dubbed the “Dear Abby for the Hip-Hop Generation,” included both famous people and regular people. Nevertheless, the series ended in 2001. More than ten years later, “The Queen Latifah Show” was selected to be resurrected by Sony Pictures Television. It had its second debut in 2013, and its initial airing received excellent reviews. Even in 2014, Latifah was recognized with the People’s Choice Award for Favorite New Talk Show Host. However, dwindling ratings in the second season led to another cancelation.
#10 “The Chevy Chase Show” Was Famously Criticized
Source: Fox
Chevy Chase gained many fans for his performances on “Saturday Night Live” and in big-budget movies, but after his disastrous late-night talk show the admiration quickly turned into disdain. The Chevy Chase Show became one of the most critically panned talk shows to date. Entertainment Weekly accused Chase of giving “vulgarity a bad name” and gave the show an F rating. Time said Chase “succeeded at nothing.” Unsurprisingly, the program only attracted half as many viewers as the advertisers had anticipated. After barely five weeks on the air, Fox canceled the program.
#11 George Lopez Accused TBS Of Not Wanting His Show
Source: TBS
George Lopez decided to try his hand at late-night television soon after the finale of his self-titled comedy. His program, “Lopez Tonight”, was successful in attracting a wide range of viewers, but everything fell apart when it was moved to a later time slot. Reportedly, TBS made the move so that Conan could air at that time instead. In a statement to HuffPost, Lopez accused the network of not wanting the show, or more specifically, the demographic. Instead of bringing his program to the next level, he said TBS played it safe. “Lopez Tonight” was discontinued after two seasons.
#12 Busy Philipps’ “Busy Tonight” Lacked Personality
Source: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
In 2018, Busy Philipps acquired her own late-night talk program with the witty name “Busy Tonight. The show had a huge roster of famous guests and unique comedy parts, but E! canceled it after one season. Philipps was shocked to learn of the cancellation and posted a “I don’t know what to say” response to it on Instagram. Some critiques by critics give insight on what could have been the series’ one weak link. Variety’s Daniel D’Addario accused the show of lacking personality, while The Ringer’s Rob Harvilla called it “tough sledding.”
#13 “The Wanda Sykes Show” Only Lasted A Single Season
Source: Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Fox
Wanda Sykes originally gained notoriety for her outstanding writing for “The Chris Rock Show”, for which she won an Emmy. Sykes has achieved success in both comedy and acting, so she looked a lock to host a lucrative talk show. In its first season, The Wanda Sykes Show starred comic Keith Robinson.Even though Entertainment Weekly named Sykes one of the 25 funniest people in America, her humor failed to turn out high ratings. Fox canceled the show after one season, which left the network void of an original late-night program for the first time in 15 years.
#14 “The Bonnie Hunt Show” Ended Despite Emmy Nominations
Source: Warner Bros. Television
One of the more mysterious talk show endings was “The Bonnie Hunt Show”, which garnered three Emmy nominations in its first season and again in its second season. Hunt was an actress, comedian, director, producer, and writer who was well-versed in every aspect of the business. Her show, which received the 2009 Gracie Award for Best Talk Show. The same year, it was announced that The Bonnie Hunt Show wouldn’t return for a third season. The program was apparently canceled by Warner Bros. owing to low ratings, which is unexpected given how well it was received.
#15 Johnson’s “The Magic Hour” Lacked Magic
Source: 20th Century Fox
Though Magic Johnson had a slamdunk career in the NBA, his success didn’t translate to late-night television. His talk show, “The Magic Hour”, premiered in 1998 and immediately received high ratings. Ironically, considering the nature of the program, many have criticized it for being uninteresting. Though one episode that was anything but dull featured Howard Stern, spiked ratings, it wasn’t enough. After just two months, 20th Century Fox canceled “The Magic Hour.
