Two weeks after Ellen DeGeneres announced that she’s retiring from her daytime television talk show, her replacement has been revealed. Kelly Clarkson will take the coveted time slot in 2022.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the move on Wednesday (May 26), pointing out that both shows are primarily broadcast on NBC channels nationwide. The two-year-old Kelly Clarkson Show is currently on 200 stations nationwide and will move to the Ellen time slot beginning in the fall of 2022.
Clarkson’s show had been signed through the 2023 season.
Even with the singer and The Voice coach’s experience and familiarity with TV audiences, she wasn’t a sure thing for this promotion. THR reported that several people were being considered for the move, including Tiffany Haddish, Miley Cyrus and Meghan Trainor, who also have deals with NBC.
The change is good news for country fans. While Clarkson has never released a country album, her ties to the genre are strong: Reba McEntire was her mother-in-law until Clarkson announced she was divorcing Brandon Blackstock in 2020, and Blake Shelton is a friend, television co-star and fellow client of Narvel Blackstock for years.
On her current show, Clarkson has often welcomed country music’s biggest artists to perform and discuss life and music. She regularly chooses relevant country songs to cover during the program, as well — a segment that could very much become her equivalent of DeGeneres’ famous dancing.
Clarkson has one CMA Award out of six nominations. She was also a back-to-back Female Vocalist of the Year nominee in 2012 and 2013.
