Kelly Clarkson will take over Ellen’s time slot

Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this… but Kelly Clarkson will just have to wait a year, because the Grammy-winning singer, and Emmy-nominated talk show host will officially be taking over Ellen DeGeneres’ time slot in 2022 when The Ellen Show comes to an end.

Earlier this month, Ellen announced that after 19 seasons, the 63-year-old would be walking away from her titular show in 2022 because it wasn’t “a challenge anymore.”

There were many contenders for Ellen’s coveted 3 p.m. (ET) time slot once the news of her departure was announced. Kristen Bell? Drew Barrymore? Tiffany Haddish? But Kelly Clarkson’s eponymous talk show, which premiered in 2019 to very good ratings, and has since been nominated for a whopping six Daytime Emmy awards, proved victorious, and NBC is singing her praises.

“These are remarkable achievements for a talk show in its second season,” said Valari Staab, president of NBCUniversal Local to The Hollywood Reporter. “We look forward to Ellen DeGeneres’ 19th season paired with Kelly Clarkson for what is sure to be a blockbuster year. By 2022, The Kelly Clarkson Show will be the star of our daytime entertainment schedules and an asset to our early afternoon newscasts,”

Tracie Wilson, executive VP of NBCUniversal Syndication Studios, also said in a statement, “The Kelly Clarkson Show is one of the most optimistic success stories in first-run syndication. 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. 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.”

Kelly, who is also a judge on The Voice, hasn’t officially commented on the upgrade, but this news comes just hours after she celebrated the news of her six Emmy noms.

Last year, Ellen faced allegations of fostering a toxic work place that included reports of racial micro-aggressions, and repercussions for staff taking medical leave; something that Ellen called “orchestrated” and “misogynistic,” but denied that she was ending her show due to the allegations, even though her ratings dipped because of the scandal.

Fans of Kelly, who first made a splash way back in 2002 when she won the very first season of American Idol, took to social media to celebrate the news.

BEFORE YOU GO: Tiffany Haddish on Ellen replacement rumours

[video_embed id='2205964']BEFORE YOU GO: Tiffany Haddish on Ellen replacement rumours[/video_embed]