*Tiffany Haddish could be tapped to take over Ellen DeGeneres’ TV spot now that the host is quitting her show after 19 seasons.
As reported by Page Six, Haddish frequently filled in for Ellen, and a senior NBCUniversal source shared with the outlet: “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.”
You can currently catch Haddish starring opposite Billy Crystal in the new movie, “Here Today.” She also hosts CBS’s “Kids Say The Darndest Things.”
Ellen, meanwhile, explained in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter that she’s leaving her daytime talk show because she needs “something new to challenge me.”
“When we did our 3,000th show, they showed that highlights montage and everybody was emotional. We all hugged and everyone had tears in their eyes, and [WB Unscripted TV President] Mike Darnell was here, going, ‘You really want to [end this]?’ Look, it’s going to be really hard on the last day, but I also know it’s time,” DeGeneres told THR. “I’m a creative person, and when you’re a creative person you constantly need to be challenged, which is why I decided to host the Oscars or why I decided to go back to stand up when I didn’t think I would. I just needed something to challenge me. And as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it’s just not a challenge anymore. I need something new to challenge me.”
READ MORE: Ellen DeGeneres to End Daytime Talk Show in 2022: ‘I Know it’s Time’ / VIDEO
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— Tiffany Haddish (@TiffanyHaddish) May 12, 2021
The “Ellen DeGeneres Show” came under scrutiny last year after several current and former staffers spilled the tea in a Buzzfeed article about the bullying and workplace toxicity behind-the-scenes. The article prompted an internal investigation by WarnerMedia.
Last July, DeGeneres sent a lengthy memo to staff, saying she is “glad the issues at our show were brought to my attention” and that they are “taking steps … to correct” them.
She began her message, “Hey everybody – it’s Ellen. On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness – no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect. Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry. Anyone who knows me knows it’s the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show,” Ellen wrote.
DeGeneres tells THR that the accusations “almost impacted the show” but are not the reason she’s ending it.
“It was very hurtful to me. I mean, very. But if I was quitting the show because of that, I wouldn’t have come back this season. So, it’s not why I’m stopping but it was hard because I was sitting at home, it was summer, and I see a story that people have to chew gum before they talk to me and I’m like, ‘OK, this is hilarious.’ Then I see another story of some other ridiculous thing and then it just didn’t stop,” she explained. “And I wasn’t working, so I had no platform, and I didn’t want to address it on [Twitter] and I thought if I just don’t address it, it’s going to go away because it was all so stupid.”
DeGeneres will discuss the show’s ending on the May 13, episode.
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