Sex scandals, extortion plots and decades-long feuds sound like story lines straight out of a soap opera — but as reality TV fans know, some of the best dramas are unscripted. From The View cohosts not getting along to Today’s most shocking exit, these are some of the biggest controversies in daytime and late-night talk show history.
Megyn Kelly‘s NBC morning show was short lived, but its reputation for upsetting viewers — and guests like Jane Fonda — is long.
In 2018, the former Fox News anchor came under fire when she defended wearing blackface makeup years ago on Halloween. Although she apologized in an email to staffers and read a statement on air, her show, Megyn Kelly Today, was canceled shortly after. Two months after her exit, she came to an agreement with NBC and reportedly received the remaining sum owed to her from her original $69 million contract — $30 million.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show made headlines in 2020 after multiple former staffers claimed that the show was a toxic atmosphere to work in.
A second report accused the producers of sexual misconduct, which they denied. Ellen DeGeneres sent an email to her team in July, explaining that she told her staff the show “would be a place of happiness” and is “disappointed” to learn that something has changed over the years.
“I am sorry. Anyone who knows me knows it’s the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show,” she said in the memo obtained by Us Weekly. “We all have to be more mindful about the way our words and actions affect others, and I’m glad the issues at our show were brought to my attention.”
DeGeneres continued, “I promise to do my part in continuing to push myself and everyone around me to learn and grow. It’s important to me and to Warner Bros. that everyone who has something to say can speak up and feels safe doing so.”
In May 2021, the comedian announced that season 19 of her talk show would be its last.
Keep scrolling to learn more about the biggest controversies in talk show history:
