Tiffany Haddish poised to take over Ellen DeGeneres' daytime crown

According to Page Six, the 40-year-old 'Girls Trip' star has frequently filled in for the 63-year-old comedian. In the wake of her ending the daytime talk show, a senior NBCUniversal source told the outlet, "Tiffany is a favourite, she has humour and empathy in spades. She's top of the list to get a daytime show - she's a fresh voice." 

Over last October and this April, Haddish filled in for DeGeneres, who announced Wednesday she is quitting her show after 19 seasons. As Page Six revealed in February, DeGeneres owns the rights to her show, which is syndicated and produced by Warner Bros. Given the fact, it is impossible to replace her without launching a fresh format with a new host. 

Apart from her guest-hosting duties, Haddish has been flexing her hosting muscles on CBS's 'Kids Say The Darndest Things.' She's also currently appearing opposite Billy Crystal in a new movie, 'Here Today.' 

Meanwhile, DeGeneres has recorded an interview with 'Today' anchor Savannah Guthrie, who flew to Los Angeles to chat with her on Wednesday. Guthrie was due to break the news of DeGeneres' exit, alongside The Hollywood Reporter, on Thursday morning, we're told - but the news was leaked beforehand. 

Meanwhile, Kelly Clarkson - whose show airs in most markets after DeGeneres - is a favourite to grab her 3 pm time slot. Talking about popular talk shows, 'The Kelly Clarkson Show,' which debuted in September of 2019, became the most-watched new daytime talk show in seven years. 

Per Page Six, Clarkson was wooed by NBC execs, including 'The Voice' executive producer Audrey Morrisey who spotted her as a great TV talent, and former NBC executives Paul Telegdy and Meredith Ahr, who thought she would be great at daytime TV. 'The Kelly Clarkson Show' has won three Daytime Emmys last year, including one for Clarkson as the best entertainment talk show host. 

Per Page Six, in January, 'The Kelly Clarkson Show' hit a season-high and matched DeGeneres' numbers for the first time.