According to the National Enquirer, The Drew Barrymore Show has gotten off to a slow start. The second-week ratings were down from the debut week “and things haven’t gotten any better.”
An insider says she can expect to “be canceled when her two-year contract ends.” Her replacement? Claws star Niecy Nash. Nash is going to get her own talk show in due time. She’s viewed as a “fun mix of Wendy Williams and Ellen DeGeneres.”
With Barrymore’s contract running two more years, “that leaves plenty of time to groom Niecy.” Nash has some experience in hosting shows like Clean House, so perhaps she could make a bigger splash than Barrymore did.
It is true that Barrymore’s “second-week audience was down,” but that doesn’t mean it’s a “tanking talk show.” Most television shows, especially talk shows, can expect to take a hit in their second week on the air.
This is largely thanks to front-loading the biggest guests. Barrymore’s ratings rebounded in week four, but this is a bit of a red herring. If Barrymore does have the two-year contract stipulated in this piece, then she simply does not have to worry about Nash.
Two years is an extremely long time in the world of television where hasty cancellations abound. Barrymore is still just settling into her place in daytime talk, so she has plenty of time to figure everything out.
Nash is indeed getting a talk show from CBS, but this wouldn’t come at Barrymore’s expense. CBS has loads of daytime talk shows which, thanks to how syndication works, don’t compete with one another.
Dr. Phil, The Talk, and Rachael Ray all emanate from CBS, but they all manage to co-exist. When Nash does get her shot in daytime TV, it wouldn’t be as some kind of replacement for a failed Barrymore.
The Scream star is consistently targeted by the Enquirer with stories that are either steeped in misinformation or made-up altogether. In a story not unlike this one, it claimed The Drew Barrymore Show was causing the cancellation of The Talk.
This is simply not how syndication works, and both shows are currently on the air. It also claimed that Kelly Ripa was refusing to book the same guests as Barrymore, but that’s not true as multiple people have already done both shows.
To demonstrate how little this tabloid knows about Barrymore, look no further than its report that she was exploring options to have a third baby. Gossip Cop busted that story by pointing out that the Never Been Kissed star has never expressed interest in a third child, and a year later she still only had two kids.
This tabloid simply enjoys targeting Barrymore for some reason. If and when Nash debuts on daytime TV, it won’t be because Barrymore tanked.