Kelly Clarksonwill be taking over forEllen DeGeneresfollowingThe Ellen DeGeneres Show’s19th and final seasonnext year.
The singer’s titular NBC series,TheKelly ClarksonShow,will move into DeGeneres' time slot in 2022, PEOPLE has confirmed.
“These are remarkable achievements for a talk show in its second season. We look forward toEllen DeGeneres' 19th season paired withKelly Clarksonfor what is sure to be a blockbuster year. By 2022,TheKelly ClarksonShowwill be the star of our daytime entertainment schedules and an asset to our early afternoon newscasts,” Valari Staab, president of NBCUniversal Local, toldThe Hollywood Reporter,which was the first to report the news.
“TheKelly ClarksonShowis one of the most optimistic success stories in first-run syndication,” Tracie Wilson, executive VP of NBCUniversal Syndication Studios added to the outlet. “It is a treasured part of NBCUniversal Syndication Studios offering and we are proud to partner with the NBC Owned Television Stations group to continue the show’s success.”
Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images; Terence Patrick/CBS via Getty Images
She continued, “Kelly and our entire production team put their heart, intent and incredible passion into making a show that resonates with people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds. We’re working on some big plans for season three and are looking forward to becoming the premier show in daytime for years to come.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
DeGeneres, 63, announced theend of her eponymous talk showearlier this month, nearly a year after the program was embroiled in controversy overallegations of workplace toxicity.
A show sourcetold PEOPLEthat DeGeneres is “confident” in her decision to step away.
“It’s sad that the show ends like this, but Ellen seems confident that she made the right decision,” the insider said, adding, “After the toxic workplace allegations, the question was more when will [the show] end and not if it will end.”
Ellen DeGeneres.getty
The allegations became public in July, whenBuzzFeed Newspublished a reportin which current and former staffers spoke anonymously about their experiences on set, which included claims of being penalized for taking medical leave, instances of racial microaggressions and fear of retribution for raising complaints.
DeGeneres discussed the controversy, which prompted aninternal investigationlast summer, in her initialTHRinterview, saying it “almost impacted the show.”
“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,” she said, adding that the situation “destroyed me, honestly. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t.”
RELATED VIDEO:Ellen DeGeneresSays Ending Her Show Is the ‘Right Thing’ During Candid Talk withOprah Winfrey
As for Clarkson, 39, her own eponymous show premiered in September 2019, later earning her aDaytime Emmy Awardforoutstanding entertainment talk show hostin June of 2020. In December, NBC announced that it had beenrenewedfor two additional seasons, through 2023.
A source previouslytold PEOPLEthat Clarkson was “the logical choice” to take over DeGeneres' time slot on NBC.
The source added that DeGeneres' exit was not a surprise: “She was almost out the door before the controversy. She’s been talking about leaving for a few years now, but that was definitely the last straw.”
source: people.com
