Tiffany Haddish reveals how she feels about possibly replacing Ellen DeGeneres
A senior NBCUniversal source revealed to the press, “Tiffany is a favorite, she has humor and empathy in spades.”
If you are betting on Tiffany Haddish replacing Ellen DeGeneres on her longtime-running talk show, don’t bet all your coins yet.
During a recent appearance on Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club, the comedian recently announced that she had not been officially offered the gig. DeGeneres is set to leave her show next season, and even though Haddish had filled in for the host before, she made it clear she has not received that formal call.
“I haven’t commented on it because ain’t nobody that give those jobs talk to me about it,” said Haddish. “The reason I’ve even been popping up guest hosting Ellen is because she wanted some days off.”
Read More: ‘Here Today’ helped Tiffany Haddish understand her grandmother’s battle with dementia
DeGeneres recently announced her popular daytime talk show would come to an end after season 19 in 2022. It is currently in the middle of season 18.
“I’m learning a new skill. That’s it,” added Haddish in regards to hosting. “Y’all just watching me learn in front of everybody.”
“I don’t know if that’s grooming me to take over because ain’t nobody talk to me about that,” she said. “Ain’t nobody said nothing to me about that.” But said she is not opposed to the idea “if I could get what Ellen getting.”
She did confirm she is very focused right now. “I’m in work mode right now,” she mentioned. “I’m in create mode, opportunity mode for others right now.”
theGrio reported this month that a change in the form of Haddish could come to The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Now a senior NBCUniversal source has reportedly revealed to Page Six, “Tiffany is a favorite, she has humor and empathy in spades.”
“She’s top of the list to get a daytime show – she’s a fresh voice,” the source continued.
“DeGeneres owns the rights to her show, which is syndicated and produced by Warner Bros. so it’s impossible to replace her without launching a fresh format with a new host,” Page Six wrote in their report.
Read More: Tiffany Haddish stars alongside Billy Crystal in new trailer for ‘Here Today’
As we previously reported, DeGeneres, who has seen a sizable ratings hit after allegations of running a toxic workplace, decided that her upcoming season will be the last, ending in 2022. This also coincides with the end of her contract.
“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,” DeGeneres told The Hollywood Reporter, which first broke the news.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which started airing in 2003, and is distributed by Warner Bros., has a mix of dancing, games, and giveaways along with A-list celebrities. But the host, who built her brand on the motto “Be Kind,” opened season 18 in September with a lengthy apology.
Last summer, during the height of the controversy, a clip of her interviewing Mariah Carey in 2008 resurfaced as an example of how the comedian often hid her alleged mean streak in plain sight under the guise of humor.
At the time of the sit-down, the pop star was rumored to be pregnant but intentionally avoided confirming it to the public until she was sure the pregnancy would go to term.
However, many pointed out that DeGeneres seemingly ignored that boundary and repeatedly attempted to get the singer to drink champagne on camera as a way to get her to confirm or deny the rumors.
“I wasn’t ready to tell anyone because I had had a miscarriage. I don’t want to throw anyone that’s already being thrown under any proverbial bus, but I didn’t enjoy that moment,” Carey explained, going on to say that there is “an empathy that can be applied to those moments that I would have liked to have been implemented. But what am I supposed to do? It’s like, [sings] ‘What are you going to do?’ ”
Around the same time, three of the show’s producers exited the show amidst allegations of a dysfunctional workplace that harbored misbehavior, including sexual misconduct and racially insensitive remarks.
Nielsen data shows The Ellen DeGeneres Show viewership dropped by 1.1M people this season, going from 2.6M viewers to 1.5M viewers.
Additional reporting by Blue Telusma
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