New ranking of America’s talk show hosts leaves The View embarrassed as Kelly Clarkson takes top spot

Author:

Fans of daytime TV want fresh faces over grizzled vets when it comes to who’s dishing up their news and entertainment.

Americans also prefer lighthearted hosts who exude honesty and authenticity over roundtable gabfests, where crosstalk and polarizing political debates often dominate.

This is all revealed in the Power List ranking of America’s top talk-show hosts, which found Kelly Clarkson and Drew Barrymore to be the most likeable, fun and positive of the daytime lineup.

The View': When Will Live Episodes Return?

Meanwhile, The View and its panel of aging pundits – particularly Joy Behar and Sunny Hostin – have fallen out of favor for their perceived bias.

Based on exclusive polling, the Power List captures public sentiment around likeability, trustworthiness, perceived bias and knowledge.

Essentially, it shows who Americans like and trust… and who they don’t.

Bias was a problem across the board. Just three hosts – Clarkson, along with married couple Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos of ABC’s Live with Kelly and Mark – managed to eke out a 4 out of 10 score in the ‘neutrality’ category, with the rest of the field earning even lower marks.

See Kelly Ripa & Mark Consuelos Get Family Surprise Backstage After Break  From Show

Clarkson, who viewers crowned the queen of daytime TV, is a relative newcomer to the talk-show scene.

The Power List ranking of America’s top talk-show hosts deemed Kelly Clarkson the queen of daytime TV, while the ladies of The View came in at the bottom.

Having won the inaugural season of American Idol in 2002, she focused on her music until launching her eponymous NBC show in 2019.

The Real Reason The View Is Mysteriously Off of TV a Year After Its  Competitor Got Canceled

Nonetheless, the 43-year-old swept the board, besting longtime media personalities like Dr. Drew Pinsky and Wendy Williams.

Viewers said Clarkson is the most likeable daytime fixture – earning a perfect 10 in that category – as well as the most knowledgeable of all the hosts on the list.

“She is considered one of the nicest people, let alone celebrities that are in the world,” an insider told the Daily Mail.

“When she took over daytime, she made her show such a fun show to watch. Kelly makes everything she does light and fun.”

Kelly Clarkson Singing God Bless America A Cappella Is Superb

Clarkson also earned top marks for being the most truthful and the host viewers would most want to spend time with, running neck-and-neck with Barrymore in those categories.

“Everything [Clarkson] touches seems very genuine and everyone is on her side, even now with her recent divorce and the passing of her ex,” the insider added.

“People feel for her and not many people who do daytime can gain that bond. Kelly has it, and that is why so many people like her and root for her. She seems to be a part of your family.”

The popularity of Clarkson’s 4pm show is viewed with envy by Barrymore, who came in second on the list.

The 50-year-old actress is said to want her 9am show to be appointment-viewing for middle America.

The Drew Barrymore Show, The Talk and more US talk shows to return, amid  social media backlash and ongoing Hollywood strike - ABC News

Barrymore’s talk show debuted a year after Clarkson, in 2020, and she has leaned heavily on her Hollywood connections to attract guests.

She has made zany celebrity chats and emotional outpourings cornerstones of her program.

“The world has known Drew for decades and she has shown the world everything. We have seen her grow up and pretty much witnessed her every move,” an insider said of the host, who still holds the record for the youngest person ever to host Saturday Night Live.

“We have seen her lowest lows and highest highs as she is an open book. And now with her show, she continues not to hide anything about herself, because that is everything she has always known. And that is why we love her.”

At the other end of the spectrum is ABC’s The View, with co-hosts Behar and Hostin seen as unreliable, uninformed and no fun.

Behar and co-host Whoopi Goldberg earned a dismal score of 1 out of 10 for neutrality, while Hostin and Ana Navarro managed only a 2 out of 10 in the same category.

Whoopi Goldberg's suspension from 'The View' does little to solve the  problem of antisemitism

It wasn’t all bad news for The View, whose co-host Sara Haines came in sixth place on the list – beating out all of her fellow panelists.

Viewers think Kelly Clarkson is the most likeable and knowledgeable of the hosts on the list.

Drew Barrymore ranked second, tying Clarkson for being the most truthful among viewers and the host they would most want to spend time with.

Live with Kelly & Mark co-hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos landed in third place, matching Clarkson and Barrymore for their neutrality.

The show is regularly filled with criticisms of the commander-in-chief and his policies, offering mostly kind words for Democrats.

In June, Goldberg sparked a firestorm over her comments, comparing life as a black American to living under Iran’s authoritarian regime.

Behar is the only remaining original host of the show, which was created by Barbara Walters in 1997.

Joy Behar Talks Leaving 'The View' & What She Wants in Final Show

An insider said the 82-year-old has unapologetically cultivated a love-hate relationship with viewers through the years, making the comedian “a lightning rod for criticism.”

“People want to watch people they like or hate. It is like professional wrestling with Joy,” the source said. “You’re going to be on her side from time to time, and then also she will be the most hated person on television. She has accepted that role, and she does it well.”

In May, top brass at ABC News and parent company Disney asked the show’s panelists to dial back their constant complaining about President Trump.

The White House recently suggested that The View “is the next to be pulled off air,” after Behar remarked that Trump was “jealous” of former President Barack Obama.

“Now, in the political time and environment we live in, she is one of the people that is so important for that show’s heartbeat,” the insider added.

“Good or bad, it wouldn’t be the same show without her, and viewers recognize that.”

The View and its panel of aging pundits – particularly Joy Behar and Sunny Hostin – have fallen out of favor for their perceived lack of neutrality.

Joy Behar and Sunny Hostin were both seen by viewers as unreliable, uninformed and no fun.

The View' star Joy Behar calls out Sunny Hostin's focus on Gavin Newsom  looks

The View’s Whoopi Goldberg sparked a firestorm over her controversial comments regarding the bombing of Iran.

While the blowback has fueled speculation over The View’s future, what comes next for other hosts in the ranking remains an open question.

Clarkson is rumored to want to leave her show next year when her contract expires.

The Texas-born singer is said to want to spend more time with daughter River Rose, 10, and son Remy, 8, who she shares with late ex-husband Brandon Blackstock.

Is Kelly Clarkson Quitting Her Daytime Talk Show?

Blackstock, her former manager, tragically died at just 48 earlier this month after a secret battle with cancer.

Clarkson is also said to be focused on her upcoming ninth album and Las Vegas residency.

“For 1,000 episodes, we have laughed together, we have cried together with beautiful stories, sang together with some people, danced together, celebrated and competed together – I’ve lost, alone, a lot,” she told her audience back in March.

“And along the way we found comfort in one another. And looking back, we are all incredibly proud of what we’ve built and the community we’ve created.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *