Six Celebs Who Could Replace Oprah

By Mike Hess Posted Nov 19th 2009 09:30PM

With word that Oprah Winfrey will be taking her ridiculously popular daytime talk show elsewhere (see story here), there's a massive void in the broadcast television world to be filled. Winfrey was always the one to score huge exclusive interviews, landing everyone from Sarah Palin to Tom Cruise to Mackenzie Phillips. So, assuming television execs will want to keep the daytime landscape as similar as possible, who could possibly fill Oprah's shoes? PopEater has a few ideas of who might be up for the job, and why they would or wouldn't work. After the jump, our reasoning as to why these six candidates would or wouldn't work.

Who: Ellen DeGeneres
Since taking the plunge into daytime talk TV in 2003, DeGeneres has had nothing but success. She's racked up more Emmys than a normal trophy wall can hold, and stars are more than happy to go out of their way to appear on her show. And, perhaps more foreshadowing than initially thought, DeGeneres recently talked her way onto the cover of Winfrey's O Magazine ... coincidence or a symbolic passing of the torch? We'll see.

Is She a Good Fit?: Absolutely
DeGeneres has the confidence and ability to make everyone sitting in the guest chair feel right at home. As long as she can tone down the silliness when the interview necessitates such actions (see: Charla Nash, Lisa Niemi), DeGeneres could make the easiest transition into the Oprah slot.

Who: Sarah Palin
Once Sarah Palin's bid to become vice president didn't pan out, rumors swirled that her newfound fame and popularity might take her to the talk show circuit. Well, she was just on 'Oprah' to promote her new book 'Going Rogue,' and as long as she doesn't have another presidential run in her forecast, the timing could very well be right for Sarah.

Is She a Good Fit?: Not Really
Palin is entertaining and certainly has gripped the nation with her meteoric rise to fame, but given her polarizing personality and political views, we doubt ABC or other networks would want to risk alienating a massive portion of the population thanks to her history. Plus, how many times can an audience tolerate a "You betcha" response when a guest asks a question in return?

Who: Ryan Seacrest
Who ever would have thought that the frosty-haired 'American Idol' co-host (anyone remember Brian Dunkleman?) would slowly become the hardest working man in showbiz, racking up radio shows, New Years Eve broadcasts and more. Seacrest, like Ellen, has a rapport with celebs that few other interviewers do, and he's not afraid to ask a tough question here and there.

Is He a Good Fit?: Not Really
Seacrest could certainly do a great job as the A-list interviewer, but personality-wise, he's a bit cold for daytime talk TV. We just don't see Midwest housewives cuddling up on the couch to watch Ryan talk on-set romances with Katherine Heigl or interview chimp victim Charla Nash.

Who: Whoopi Goldberg
If history has showed us anything, it's that there's only so much time that one can tolerate on 'The View.' The show's revolving door of co-hosts and moderators has spanned everyone from Rosie O'Donnell to current 'Today' host Meredith Vieira. We're thinking there's a good chance that Whoopi could use Oprah's departure as a launching pad for her to ditch Joy, Elisabeth and the rest of the always infighting 'View' crew.

Is She a Good Fit?: Indeed
Whoopi's calm demeanor and ability to wrangle everyone on the set of 'The View' is a skill set that few could possibly possess, and she's nailed it with honors. She's smart, concise and seasoned enough to be able to handle all kinds of interviews while also having the comedic punch to supplement the lighter parts of a daytime show.

Who: Rachael Ray
Perhaps the likeliest of all candidates on this list, Ray is a protege of Winfrey, as Oprah got the Food Network star her own daytime gig and took her under her wing.

Is She a Good Fit?: Nope
Rachael needs the food outlet of her show to keep things moving along, and unless they plan on blending serious interview with Mackenzie Phillips about incest with how to make pot pie out of Thanksgiving leftovers, we just don't see this happening. Also, could you imagine the foodie community's fervor should she make a leap like that?

Who: Paula Abdul
There's no more 'American Idol' in Paula Abdul's future, so why not give her a crack at daytime TV? She's famous, has a history of success, and may have picked up some pointers from fellow candidate Ryan Seacrest ... actually, on second thought ...

Is She a Good Fit?: Not at All
While there would certainly be a good chunk of people tuning in to see which Paula shows up each day -- the charming and funny one, or the erratic and wobbly one -- just because Miss Abdul is unemployed doesn't mean she's Oprah-worthy.

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Tags: elisabeth hasselbeck, ElisabethHasselbeck, ellen degeneres, ellen degeneres show, EllenDegeneres, EllenDegeneresShow, oprah winfrey, OprahWinfrey, OprahWinfreyShow, rachael ray, RachaelRay, ryan seacrest, RyanSeacrest, Sarah Palin, SarahPalin, the view, TheView, whoopi goldberg, WhoopiGoldberg

Comments

(107)

Friday 20 November

By hisprincesstoo

Vote down Vote up Report this

What about Tyra Banks, who already is making her way as a talk show host?

By Terri

Bring in a fresh new face....Oprah was unknown when she came aboard 20 years ago. Someone like Aiasha Tyler who was on Friends for awhile would be great!

By kjg0128

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Who says that we need to replace her? When the show has run its course - lets move on.

By caranna

Oh please let it be Sarah Palin so our country can breath a sign of relief as far as what she will be doing. She's entertainment in and of herself.

Sarah is like a horrific accident that you can't keep yourself from watching.

By Bud

Ryan Seacrest reminds me of a real life Bart Simpson...His eyes,forehead,hair...BART SIMPSON.

By grcmid

Who cares..........

By Tracie Smith

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Look, Oprah can go take a long walk off a short pier for all I care.
She is racist, a feminazi, a bleeding liberal, and she's not a great as you all think she is. She's just like her 'buddy' obam-bam...in it for a photo op.

By zzcog

Of course Palin is not a good fit because she is a conservative woman, of course Goldberg is a perfect
fit because she is a liberal woman. Just dripping with a wee bit of hypocrisy. You betcha!

By andy

if that is all America has to offer I'm sending in my wife, where can she sign up?

By R. Duncan

Please, people, do not resort to obcene adjectives in describing Sarah Palin. She deserves our respect regardless if you agree or disagree with her political views. She is an intelligent, honest person. As far as being polerized, she couldn't be more or less polerized than a far-left liberal.

Saturday 21 November

By steve e

sarah should have stayed in Alaska - she was fine there - she is way out of her league in national afairs - she should be left alone...........

By Kurt

i think a perfect replacement would be William Shatner....or...Jessica Simpson

By Jolene

How about someone who isn't racially charged, polictally correct, gay or lesbian.... oops! That person doesn't exist for television. People take on the persona of what they see on TV. Monkey see, Monkey do. blah blah blah

By ROBERTA

I really really really don't know what all the hoopla is with eLLEN . . .PERSONALLY, I FIND HER DISGUSTING BORING!!! AND HER RIDICULOUS DANCING REMINDS ME OF SOMEONE WITH A STICK UP THEIR BUTT!! Can't see her bringing anything to American Idol - - rather, they will lose viewers - - so most certainly can't see her as the next "Oprah!!

By Malik

I have nothing to be Jealous about I am a Retired Disabled Veteran, and I now talent when I see it. When I seen Sarah Palin, I knew she was out there, and they were gonna lost against Obama, and it will be twice I she runs against him 2012. Oh yeah, It seems like your the Jealous one talking about someone dancing.

By Aimee

Personally, I think Tyra Banks would do a much better job taking Oprah's place if anyone. Although, I don't think anyone is going to ever match up to Oprah. She's one of a kind.

By Kiki

Why would you want another Oprah? Just go already!

By SKI

Who cares? I don,t and never have.

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