From McEnroe to Ellen: 5 celebrity talk shows that flopped and 5 that thrived

For every talk show host success story, there's a cautionary tale in the shape of John McEnroe or Nick Cannon, who prove not everyone is cut out to chat

John McEnroe, Nick Cannon and Kelly Clarkson have hosted their own eponymous talk shows, but only Clarkson proved a success with audiences. Photo: AFP, Getty Images, Reuters

Hosting a talk show might look simple enough: sitting on a comfortable sofa and asking celebrity guests easy questions. But judging by the number of stars who’ve tried and failed, it’s a lot harder than it looks.

For every Kelly Clarkson or Drew Barrymore, who used their existing fame to springboard into a successful chat show host career, there’s a Kris Jenner, who couldn’t quite put the same successful spin on her ill-fated talk show Kris, as she did on her children’s careers.

The latest star to fail to wow audiences is Nick Cannon. The singer, actor, presenter and producer was looking to add talk show host to his resume. But his eponymous show was axed this week after one series, ranking as the lowest-rated single-host daytime syndicated talk show this season.

With the likes of Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson and 30 Rock actress Sherri Shepherd waiting in the wings to debut their new talk shows later this year, here are five stars who failed to find an audience and five who proved to be ratings winners…

Five stars who talked themselves out of a job

Chevy Chase, ‘The Chevy Chase Show’, 1993

A huge star thanks to Saturday Night Live and the National Lampoon's Vacation movies, producers would be forgiven for thinking Chevy Chase would be a big hit with audiences.

Despite attracting star guests such as Goldie Hawn, Robert De Niro and Whoopi Goldberg, Chase's show was cancelled after only one month.

“The show has settled into a mind-deadening, Chevy-centric rut,” wrote Entertainment Weekly.

Gabrielle Carteris, ‘Gabrielle’, 1995

As the current president of the actor's union Sag-Aftra, Gabrielle Carteris's brief stint as a failed talk show host hasn't stopped her from getting to the top in Hollywood. Getty Images

Back in the early 1990s, Gabrielle Carteris was everywhere thanks to her role of Andrea Zuckerman in the monster hit Beverly Hills, 90210. The show, which ran from 1990 until 2000, made household names out of Jason Priestley, Shannon Doherty and Luke Perry.

Hoping to capitalise off Carteris’s success, she was given her own talk show, 1995’s Gabrielle, which was cancelled after only one season.

Zach Galifianakis, ‘Late World With Zach’, 2002

Long before he found fame on The Hangover, Zach Galifianakis's late-night talk show Late World with Zach was broadcast on VH1 and ran for only two months.

One aspect that didn't go down well with audiences was the constant voiceovers throughout the interview, purported to be Galifianakis's inner voice talking.

The actor later found his niche sitting down with the likes of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Jennifer Lawrence and Brad Pitt, as the hapless host of hilarious internet talk show Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis.

John McEnroe, ‘McEnroe’, 2004

If you’re thinking: 'John McEnroe had his own chat show? You cannot be serious!' Well, it’s true.

The tennis ace swapped the court for the chat show host desk back in 2004, for the CNBC show McEnroe.

It ran for five months between July and December 2004 before it was cancelled. The sports star even roped in his wife, Patty Smyth, to record the theme song.

Kris Jenner, ‘Kris’, 2013

Hoping to parlay the global success she had achieved with her family as “momager” of the Kardashian clan, Kris Jenner took the opportunity to try her hand at being a talk-show host.

Inviting her numerous family members on to the show, she scored a ratings winner by getting her son-in-law Kanye West on for his first television interview in three years. However, the show was cancelled after only six weeks.

Five stars with the gift of the gab

Ellen DeGeneres, ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’, 2003-present

Having started out as a stand-up comedienne, Ellen DeGeneres got a taste of the talk show circuit during a 1986 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

Moving into TV and films, she starred in Roseanne, as well as her own sitcom, Ellen, before scoring a huge hit with audiences with her eponymous talk show.

Currently in the middle of its 19th and final season, the show has received 171 Daytime Emmy Award nominations, winning 61.

The 2018 controversy over the working environment on the show, in which current and former staff members accused the star of creating a toxic workplace, resulted in three executives being fired.

Tyra Banks, ‘The Tyra Banks Show’, 2005-2010

In her stellar career, Tyra Banks appeared on the covers of Elle, Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, and took to the catwalk for everyone from Givenchy to Giorgio Armani. Not to mention starring in the George Michael music video for Too Funky.

Sashaying effortlessly into daytime television, her eponymous chat show was a hit, running for five years.

Scooping two Daytime Emmys, her final show on May 28, 2010, had Rihanna and Miley Cyrus appear to say farewell.

Banks also hosted America’s Next Top Model, one of the most successful reality television shows made yet.

Jimmy Fallon, ‘Late Night With Jimmy Fallon’, 2009-2014, ‘The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon’, 2014-present

Having been a staple of late-night US television for so long, it’s hard to remember a time when Jimmy Fallon, 47, was anything other than a talk show host.

He started out his career as a stand-up comedian before becoming a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Movie roles in Almost Famous and Fever Pitch followed, but he admitted he had not achieved what he had hoped for in Hollywood.

His movie career failing to take off lead the marketing team behind Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to promote him using the tagline: “You loved him on SNL! You hated him in the movies! Now you're ambivalent.”

Kelly Clarkson, ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’, 2019-present

The winner of the first season of American Idol has proved as big a success on the small screen as she was with her music career.

Having already scooped a Grammy, Clarkson, 39, has also added an Emmy to her list of accolades thanks to her award-winning chat show.

With guests including Dwayne Johnson, Christina Aguilera, Tyler Perry and Kevin Hart, her “Kellyoke” segment, in which she covers a popular song, has been a big hit with fans.

Drew Barrymore, ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ 2020-present

First floating the idea of hosting her own chat show back in 2016, it wouldn’t be until four years later that the show would come to fruition.

Having made her name as an actress, Drew Barrymore’s move into the talk show world saw her easily secure A-list guests, most of whom were her friends, such as David Letterman and Jessica Alba.

She also reunited her Charlie’s Angels co-stars Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu. Despite being launched during the pandemic in September 2020, Barrymore’s show received high ratings and critical acclaim.