The Race is On to Replace Ellen

The race is on! After Ellen DeGeneres announced that she is leaving her show after a series of scandals, NBC execs are scrambling to create a succession plan, TMZ reports.

Insiders tell the site that NBC execs were eyeing Kelly Clarkson and her titular show as the heir apparent pre-pandemic, but that her show struggled during COVID. Production quality went down and so did ratings. As the production returns to normalcy, execs will be watching her numbers closely.

Another person under consideration is Tiffany Haddish, per TMZ. Because Haddish has so many projects on her plate, they would likely have to pay her big bucks to commit to a Monday-Friday show.

DeGeneres will end the show in 2022.