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 Malik

Vote down Vote up Report this

Afraid of Palin. Please, if Republican's are stupid enough to run her for President 2012. I'm afraid she lose big-time. The only place ring wing talk show host are successful is on Radio, and Fox network. Anywhere else no one will watch it. She maybe have a future like Glen Beck, and Rush. Outside of that I don't see it. Oprah is bigger than that. She appeals to the Right and the Left.

By jat

I think they all stink!!Too glitzy, they need someone who can take the audience side to see things from both sides!! I think Elizabeth Vargas would be good if they only soften her up ! Make her show a vulnerabile side like Oprah

By csr

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

None of the above!

By desred61

None of these is a replacemnt for Oprah. Palin is a twit, Seacrest is annoying, Ellen is too silly, Rachel is cute but no, Whoopi is biased, and Paula is too loopy. But most important, none of these people have the journalistic background of Oprah. My Choice - Lisa Ling

By Ruth

None of the people listed could ever fill Oprah's shoes and have her dignity and expertise. Oprah's been my mentor, friend, and a share all. She's the best!

By Stephanie

Tyra Banks! Her talk show is very similar to the Oprah Show- a mix of hot-button issues, fun makeover type episodes, celeb interviews, and A LOT of personal sharing. How could she not be considered a contender to replace Oprah? None of the aforementioned people have an ounce of potential, besides maybe Ellen. Does no one else see this?

By Amie

No one can replace Oprah Winfrey. The entire list of "replacements" is a joke. Seriously, Ryan Seacrest? I think the question posed should be, "Which one of the following individuals would drive you to suicide if they replaced Oprah?" Rachel Ray, Ryan Seacrest, & Paula Abdul, are my top 3 in answer to THAT question.

By dave

GOOD BYE OPRAH, WE ARE SO OVER YOU! YOU'VE OUTLIVED YOUR STAY! OUT TO PASTURE GIRL.

By What?!

I don't expect anybody to replace Oprah. Actually, I'm not too fond of Oprah. Just shut it down for good. I think we have a few talk shows that should be enough for now.

By summer

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

TYRA BANKS is superbe. She is not racist, in fact she always tries to bring races together, let everyone play nice, and learn, be understanding. Tyra is the NATURAL CHOICE absolutely gets my vote.

By tom

Irreplaceable

By R Baum

You do realize Oprah is stepping down to run for some office on the Democratic ticket in 2012, don't you?????????

By Rose

My vote is for either Palin or Paula Abdul... both the perfect train wreck for a talk show, and the only ones looney enough to replace the bloated, self absorbed Oprah.

By Delois

WIllie and others, Oprah build homes for so many who lost their homes in that horrific storm, she build a school for African girls, gave 100,000 dollars for the capture of men who rape children. What have you all done for others?

Monday 23 November

By Willie

What did I do for others?.......brought hot breakfast and lunches to my neighbors one block away whose homes were flooded...cooked for the workers from Texas who were cleaning up the trash in our neighborhood from storm debris...gave furniture, dishes and household items to those who helped pick up the tree from my roof and gutters...helped my elderly neighbor and his son paint and clean up his roof and flooded house after Katrina...put my neighbors fence back up until he could get a new one....bought lunch and breakfast for the cleanup crew and their family from Texas......any more questions, Delois?

What did YOU do?

By willie

Oprah took photo ops. and that's it...just like Bush; and, just like Bush, did nothing...nothing!

Saturday 21 November

By John

At the rate we are going, I think the guy from Jack-ass would be the new king of talk. I would have said Suze Orman, but she is getting paid off too much by the finacinal folks to give a hoot. I am sorry to say that IM tired of most talk show hosts. Ellen isn't bad. At least she tries to have a lighter side of things. Why do we need to have hosts that make us feel good about ourselves? Steer us in the "right" direction? We need hosts that are saying, "wake up and smell the coffee and get your own life"! It's wonderful to help others, but we have to help ourselves first.

By jimbo

Obviously it will Not be Sarah Palin! Why? Our
Far-Left mass-media, including her network would never dignify thier offerings by adding a little "balance" to their Socialist programing.
If Sarah was chosen, Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil would both
go screaming into the bushes. Thanks for reading.

By vrickssss

thank god she is leaving.

By ur mom

WHO CARES ABOUT OPRAH SHES FAT GET A FREAKIN LIFE

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