Who Will NBC Pick to Be the New Ellen (Minus the Allegedly Toxic Workplace Part)?

Now that Ellen DeGeneres has announced her plans to step down from her NBC daytime talk show and spend more time generating allegedly toxic workplace cultures on a farm Upstate or whatever, the network scrambling to figure out who they’re gonna give her coveted timeslot to.

TMZ says that Kelly Clarkson is currently the frontrunner. That was always the plan with giving the singer her own daytime show, apparently! But ratings haven’t been great over the past year, so NBC execs are keeping an eye out for other possible post-Ellens just in case things with her show don’t improve.

A major contender after Clarkson is Tiffany Haddish, TMZ notes, who has filled in for Ellen a few times in the past and been very well-received. No one from her camp could confirm to TMZ whether she’d consider doing it though.

Another name that has come up in the past has been James Corden, but THANK FUCKING GOD he has already shot down those rumors, telling reporters that “there is absolutely no truth” to them. Hallelujah!

• Raise your hand if you owe your former manager “substantial money.” Scott Disick, you should be raising your hand right now. [Page Six]
• A civil suit against alleged sexual predator Kevin Spacey was dismissed because the accuser, who claims the actor assaulted him in the ‘80s when he was only 14 years old, did not want to be named publicly in connection with the case. Can I get a “fuck the American court system” in the chat? [Page Six]
• Kourtney Kardashian tattooed the words “I love you” on boyfriend slash Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker’s arm. [People]
• Meanwhile, Barker’s ex-wife, the model-turned-TV personality star slash host of E!’s truly iconic though extremely short-lived matrimonial plastic surgery deathmatch Bridalplasty Shanna Moakler, just got a tattoo of Barker’s name removed! [Us Weekly]
• Alec Baldwin’s railing against “cancel culture” again, though it’s unclear if he’s doing it on behalf of his delusional wife, Hilaria Baldwin, or his aLlEgEdLy sexually predatory buddies, Andrew Cuomo and Woody Allen. [Page Six]
• How did I not know Phylicia Rashad was gonna be a Dean at Howard University???? [TMZ]
• “I started my own company at age 15 by embroidering sheer blouses with blue tits and great tits,” said Jane Seymour, “which are common birds to England.” [Us Weekly]
• Kash Doll says someone stole half a million dollars worth of jewelry out of her car, which is EXACTLY why I always leave my half a million dollars worth of jewelry not in my car. [TMZ]
• First look at Billy Porter in his Fairy Godmother get-up for the upcoming Cinderella movie with Camila Cabello! [Out]
• Please watch Ziwe x Fran Lebowitz on former president Barack Obama immediately.