Daytime TV Cancellations 2026: Kelly, Sherri & Colbert End

Daytime TV cancellations 2026 – The announcements arrived within hours of each other on February 2, 2026: The Kelly Clarkson Show is ending after seven seasons, and Sherri has been cancelled after four. Together, they removed the two most prominent new voices in syndicated daytime television simultaneously — the biggest single-day daytime shakeup since Ellen DeGeneres announced her exit in 2021. Add the confirmed end date for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (May 21, 2026, after CBS pulled the plug the previous July), and the television landscape of 2026 is delivering a reckoning for formats that were already under structural pressure.

But the genre’s obituary would be premature. The Jennifer Hudson Show, which many industry insiders expected to follow Kelly and Sherri off a cliff, was renewed for a fifth season on February 19 — with viewership growth, a social media surge, and Fox Television Stations staking their daytime future on it. The survivors tell a different story from the cancelled: the talk shows that are thriving are the ones that built real digital audiences, not just TV ratings.

Here is the complete verified picture as of March 6, 2026.

The Kelly Clarkson Show: Seven Seasons, 1,144 Episodes, and a Decision Made as a Mother

On February 2, 2026, NBCUniversal confirmed that The Kelly Clarkson Show would conclude at the end of its current seventh season, with final episodes airing through Fall 2026. The announcement was shared with the show’s staff and crew that morning before being made public.

The Numbers Behind the Show

The Kelly Clarkson Show premiered on September 9, 2019, in first-run syndication on NBC Owned Television Stations — achieving the largest audience share in metered markets for a newly premiering syndicated series since 2012. For the first four seasons it filmed at Universal Studios in Los Angeles; from Season 5 (October 2023) it moved to 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York.

By the time of the February announcement, the show had aired 1,144 episodes across 200+ markets nationwide, averaging approximately 1.2 million same-day viewers in syndication. Its digital footprint was substantially larger: the show surpassed 2 billion annual views across Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for the third consecutive year in Season 7, adding 6.5 million new social followers in the process.

In terms of industry recognition, The Kelly Clarkson Show accumulated 24 Daytime Emmy Awards — including four consecutive wins for Outstanding Daytime Talk Series and four consecutive wins for Outstanding Talk Show Host. It also won People’s Choice, Gracie, and Webby Awards, and earned nominations from the Critics’ Choice Awards, MTV Movie & TV Awards, GLAAD Media Awards, and the Writers Guild of America.

Showrunner and executive producer Alex Duda guided the series across all seven seasons and all the moves — the cross-country relocation, the pandemic-era remote production from Clarkson’s Montana home, and the return to studio production in 2020 and 2021.

Why Kelly Is Walking Away

This was Kelly Clarkson’s decision, not NBCUniversal’s. Her contract was set to expire at the end of Season 7, and there had been internal discussion about whether the show could continue with a new host — Hoda Kotb was floated as a potential successor. NBCUniversal ultimately opted to retire the series entirely rather than attempt a host transition.

The primary reason Clarkson gave was family. She is the mother of River Rose, 11, and Remington “Remy,” 9, who lost their father in August 2025. Clarkson’s ex-husband and former manager Brandon Blackstock — with whom she finalised her divorce in 2022 — died in August 2025 after a three-year battle with cancer. He was 48. Clarkson had taken a leave of absence from the show in spring 2025 to be with her children while Blackstock was undergoing treatment.

In her official statement, Clarkson wrote: “Stepping away from the daily schedule will allow me to prioritize my kids, which feels necessary and right for this next chapter of our lives. This isn’t goodbye. I’ll still be making music, playing shows here and there and you may catch me on The Voice from time to time… You never know where I might show up next.”

On February 20, she appeared on TODAY alongside new Voice co-coach John Legend and spoke with Carson Daly about the decision. “I think everybody probably gets the timing,” she said. “Our family life, the dynamic changed a bit, and it has changed for a minute now. You got kids, we’ve all got kids, and it’s one of those things when you kind of start seeing life as how precious it is, too.” She added: “That was a really hard thing for me, but an easy decision as a momma.”

What’s Next for Kelly Clarkson

Clarkson is returning to The Voice for Season 29 — “Battle of Champions” — alongside John Legend and Adam Levine, with only three coaches instead of the usual four. It will be her first season on the show since Season 23 in 2023, and she is a four-time winning coach going in. “I have won the most, if you’re counting,” she told Carson Daly. “It was part of my pitch.”

Beyond The Voice, a new album and a Las Vegas residency are reportedly in development. The Kellyoke era of daytime television is ending; the next chapter in a career that has already included American Idol victory (Season 1, 2002), multiple Grammy awards, and seven seasons of Emmy-winning television is only just beginning.

Sherri: Cancelled on the Same Day, For Different Reasons

Hours after NBCUniversal’s Kelly Clarkson announcement, Debmar-Mercury — the Lionsgate-owned production and distribution company — confirmed that Sherri would end its syndication run after four seasons.

The statement from Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus was specific on what the cancellation was not: “This decision is driven by the evolving daytime television landscape and does not reflect on the strength of the show, its production — which has found strong creative momentum this season — or the incredibly talented Sherri Shepherd. We believe in this show and in Sherri and intend to explore alternatives for it on other platforms.”

The Show’s Record

Sherri premiered September 12, 2022, taping live at Chelsea Studios in New York City in front of a studio audience. It occupied the daytime slots previously held by The Wendy Williams Show — Shepherd had served as interim host during the final, difficult stretch of Wendy Williams’ thirteenth season — and brought with it much of the same production team.

Over four seasons, the show built a record it can stand behind. It was the second-most-watched daytime talk show among women ages 25–54. It earned five NAACP Image Awards and four Daytime Emmy Award nominations. Its guest list included Michelle Obama, Tina Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and dozens of other high-profile names. Fox TV Stations EVP of programming Frank Cicha had called it “a linchpin of our daytime lineup” when renewing it for Season 4.

Shepherd received her Hollywood Walk of Fame star in November 2025 — a professional milestone that arrived only months before the cancellation.

The Week That Followed

The announcement blindsided the production team. Multiple sources told Page Six that Debmar-Mercury had never fully backed the show with the resources it needed, and that staff were “shocked” given the show’s recent creative momentum and a string of high-profile bookings. “Every guest left happy,” one source said.

Shepherd herself was not immediately able to respond: she had contracted COVID-19 around the time of the announcement. She posted to Instagram on February 3: “Wow! I am completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of love for me and The @sherrishowtv. As soon as I feel better and return to the show, I will address all of the news that has come out.”

When she returned, she addressed her audience directly from the stage: “This is a hard morning for all of us here at ‘Sherri,’ and I know that you have seen the news and I’m ready to address it. Our show has not been renewed for another season.” Then: “I’m not ready to throw in the towel on this show just yet. We’re going to be airing episodes all through the fall, and we’re going to continue to fight to keep the show alive in some way, shape or form. If anybody knows me, they know I’m a fighter.”

What Happens to Debmar-Mercury

The business dimension of the Sherri cancellation deserves attention. If no digital or streaming alternative materialises, Debmar-Mercury will have no shows that it both produces and distributes in its own portfolio — a significant structural consequence for a company that also distributes Family Feud, People Puzzler, and syndicated repeats of The Conners and Anger Management, but does not produce those titles. The “other platforms” language in their statement appears to signal genuine intent to pursue a streaming home for the show.

Shepherd, meanwhile, is on her Make It Make Sense comedy tour — demonstrating that her career beyond daytime television is already active and on its own terms.

Jennifer Hudson Show: Renewed for Season 5 — The Counter-Narrative

The week after the Kelly and Sherri announcements, speculation immediately turned to whether The Jennifer Hudson Show would be next. A source familiar with the show told NewsNation bluntly: “It is inaccurate to state that ‘The Jennifer Hudson Show’ is canceled. We are actively producing Season 4. We are currently in the midst of our clearance process, and there is strong support for the show’s return.”

On February 19, 2026, that support was made official. Fox Television Stations and Telepictures renewed the show for a fifth season, running through the 2026–27 broadcast year. Variety, TVLine, Deadline, and The Hollywood Reporter all confirmed the deal.

Why the Jennifer Hudson Show Survived When Others Didn’t

The renewal announcement came with data that explains exactly why Fox made a different call on Hudson than they did on Shepherd:

For the 2025–26 season, The Jennifer Hudson Show posted year-over-year viewership growth of 10% among Women 25–54 — growing its audience while the overall daytime syndication market was shrinking. On digital, total social followers rose 90.7% to 17.5 million, impressions jumped 242.8% to 7.5 billion, and engagement climbed 164.1% to 537 million interactions. The show ranks #1 among all daytime talk shows on TikTok and Threads. The Spirit Tunnel — the pre-show staff singalong ritual where team members line up to hype the day’s guest with personalised songs — has now accumulated over 6 billion total views across platforms.

The show has also built a serious awards record: 13 Daytime Emmy nominations and four NAACP Image Awards.

Frank Cicha, EVP of Programming for Fox Television Stations, made the case plainly: “Jennifer Hudson is a powerful force on all platforms and works incredibly well with all of our stations. We are excited to have her back for year five.”

Hudson, an EGOT winner (Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, Tony) who began her path to fame as a 2004 American Idol finalist, offered her own response to the Kelly Clarkson ending when the two crossed paths at the premiere of the animated film Goat in early February. “Kelly is amazing. I wish her the absolute best. She’s done really well — and she’s a GOAT!” Hudson told Variety. It was one of the few moments of warmth in an otherwise bleak week for the genre.

Stephen Colbert: The Late Show Ends May 21

The daytime cancellations of February 2026 arrived against a broader backdrop of television endings — the most significant being The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which airs its final episode on May 21, 2026.

CBS announced the cancellation on July 17, 2025. Colbert learned about it the night before and broke the news to his live studio audience at the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York. “It’s not just the end of our show, but it’s the end of The Late Show on CBS,” he told them. “I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away.”

CBS’ statement called the decision “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.” However, the timing was difficult to read in isolation. Colbert had, in his Monday monologue, described Paramount’s $16 million settlement of a lawsuit filed by Donald Trump over a 60 Minutes interview as a “big fat bribe” — adding that he didn’t know if “anything will repair my trust in this company.” CBS’ parent company Paramount Global was simultaneously seeking FCC approval for its acquisition by Skydance Media. CBS insisted the cancellation had nothing to do with the show’s content or Colbert’s political commentary.

The Late Show franchise — which CBS said it is retiring entirely, with no replacement host — began with David Letterman in August 1993 and ran for 33 years. Colbert took over from Letterman in 2015 and held the top spot in the late night ratings for nine consecutive seasons, averaging 2.417 million viewers across 41 new episodes in the most recent Nielsen count. The show won a Peabody Award in 2021 and received six Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Talk Show.

Among its late night peers: Jimmy Kimmel has extended his contract on ABC through May 2027. Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers are contracted on NBC through 2028. The late night landscape will survive Colbert’s exit; the Late Show specifically will not.

What’s Left: Daytime TV cancellations 2026

With Kelly Clarkson and Sherri both ending in Fall 2026 and The Late Show going dark in May, it is worth mapping what remains in the traditional talk format.

Still standing in syndicated daytime: The Jennifer Hudson Show (Season 5 confirmed through 2026–27), The Drew Barrymore Show, Tamron Hall, Live with Kelly & Mark, The View, GMA3, Today 4th Hour with Jenna & Sheinelle, Access Hollywood Live, TMZ Live.

The shows that came before and are gone: The Ellen DeGeneres Show (ended 2022 after 19 seasons), Rachael Ray (ended 2023 after 17 seasons), Dr. Phil (ended 2023 after 21 seasons), The Talk (ended 2023 after 13 seasons), The Wendy Williams Show (ended 2022), The Real (ended 2022), Dish Nation (2025).

The economics that explain it all: A traditional daytime talk show with a live band — the format that defined Kelly Clarkson’s show and, to a lesser extent, Sherri’s — costs between $350,000 and $600,000 per episode at the higher end of the spectrum. Video podcasts now deliver celebrity interviews to the same demographic for a fraction of that cost. Stations losing the Kelly and Sherri slots are broadly expected to expand their local news blocks rather than invest in new talk programming. The gap between the economics of legacy daytime television and digital talk formats has become impossible for most syndication groups to bridge.

The shows that are surviving — Jennifer Hudson, Drew Barrymore, Tamron Hall — are not simply talk shows that happen to also have Instagram accounts. They are shows built around digital communities that treat broadcast as one distribution channel among several, rather than the primary one. The Spirit Tunnel’s 6 billion views did not come from NBC owned-and-operated stations. That is what the January 2026 cancellations actually tell us.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is The Kelly Clarkson Show ending? Kelly Clarkson made the personal decision to step away from hosting a daily talk show after Season 7. She cited family as the primary reason — her children River Rose (11) and Remington “Remy” (9) lost their father, Brandon Blackstock, to cancer in August 2025. Clarkson told Carson Daly on TODAY on February 20: “That was a really hard thing for me, but an easy decision as a momma.” Her contract was expiring; NBCUniversal considered continuing the show with a new host but ultimately chose to end it entirely. Final episodes air through Fall 2026.

Why was Sherri cancelled? Debmar-Mercury cited the “evolving daytime television landscape” — not ratings, not Sherri Shepherd’s performance. The show was the second-most-watched daytime talk show among women 25–54 and had what Debmar-Mercury called “strong creative momentum” in Season 4. The cancellation reflects the structural economics of syndicated daytime television: shrinking ad revenue, fragmented audiences, and high production costs. Debmar-Mercury is actively exploring digital and streaming alternatives for the show. Shepherd has vowed to “fight to keep the show alive.”

Is The Jennifer Hudson Show cancelled? No. The Jennifer Hudson Show was renewed for a fifth season on February 19, 2026, by Fox Television Stations and Telepictures. The show will air through the 2026–27 broadcast season. It posted year-over-year viewership growth of 10% among women 25–54 in Season 4, ranks #1 on TikTok among daytime talk shows, and its Spirit Tunnel ritual has accumulated over 6 billion total platform views.

When does The Late Show with Stephen Colbert air its final episode? May 21, 2026. CBS cancelled the show in July 2025, calling it “purely a financial decision.” Colbert has been hosting the show since 2015; the Late Show franchise, which will retire along with Colbert, began with David Letterman in August 1993. Colbert has confirmed he will continue in television; no specific next project has been announced.

Which daytime talk shows are still going in 2026? The Jennifer Hudson Show (renewed through 2027), The Drew Barrymore Show, Tamron Hall, Live with Kelly & Mark, The View, GMA3, Today 4th Hour, TMZ Live, and Access Hollywood Live. The syndicated landscape after Kelly and Sherri’s exits this fall will be significantly leaner than it has been at any point in the past two decades.

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Last updated: March 6, 2026. Sources: NBCUniversal press release via TV Series Finale — “The Kelly Clarkson Show: Syndicated Series Ending with Season Seven in Fall 2026” (February 2, 2026 — 24 Emmys, 4 consecutive Outstanding Series + Host, Fall 2026 final episodes, special guest hosts confirmed, showrunner Alex Duda confirmed, Tracie Wilson EVP quote confirmed, Valari Staab quote confirmed); Variety — “‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’ Ending After Seven Seasons” (February 2, 2026 — Brandon Blackstock cancer three-year battle age 48 confirmed, Kelly personal decision confirmed, Las Vegas residency/new album NY Post confirmed); Deadline — “The Kelly Clarkson Show To End After 7 Seasons” (February 2, 2026 — contract expiring confirmed, Hoda Kotb potential replacement confirmed, show not continuing confirmed, “high cost” analysis confirmed); Carroll Broadcasting / 1380 KCIM — “The Kelly Clarkson Show ending after seven seasons” (1.2M same-day viewers confirmed, 200+ markets confirmed, leave of absence spring 2025 confirmed); TODAY / NBC — “Kelly Clarkson Opens Up About End of Her Talk Show” (February 20, 2026 — Carson Daly interview confirmed, “hard decision easy as a momma” quote confirmed, River Rose 11 / Remy 9 confirmed, Voice Season 29 Battle of Champions with Legend + Levine 3 coaches first time since Season 23 2023 confirmed, 4-time winning coach confirmed); NBC.com — “‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’ Ending: Not an Easy Decision” (2 billion social views confirmed, 6.5M new followers confirmed, Kellyoke Effect confirmed, full Kelly statement confirmed); Wikipedia — The Kelly Clarkson Show (1,144 episodes as of March 5 2026 confirmed, September 9 2019 premiere confirmed, October 16 2023 Season 5 New York confirmed, September 29 2025 Season 7 premiere confirmed); Deadline — “‘Sherri’ Daytime Talk Show Canceled After Four Seasons” (February 2/3, 2026 — Debmar-Mercury Lionsgate confirmed, Ira Bernstein + Mort Marcus statement confirmed, Fox/Nexstar/Hearst/Sinclair/Gray/Tegna/Sunbeam clearance confirmed, September 12 2022 premiere confirmed, Wendy Williams replacement confirmed); Variety — “‘Sherri’ Daytime Talk Show Canceled After Four Seasons” (February 3, 2026 — same statement confirmed, Chelsea Studios NYC confirmed, Season 4 production continuing confirmed); Variety — “Sherri Shepherd Will ‘Fight to Keep Show Alive’” (February 2026 — audience address confirmed, “I’m not ready to throw in the towel” quote confirmed, “I am a fighter” confirmed, Norman Baker/Kim Whitley green room quip confirmed); EURweb — “Sherri Shepherd’s Talk Show Cancellation Blamed on Lack of Production Support” (Page Six sourcing confirmed — Debmar-Mercury “never fully backed” show, staff “shocked,” Michelle Obama / “every guest left happy” confirmed, COVID Instagram post February 3 confirmed); BlackAmericaWeb — “Sherri Shepherd’s Show Canceled After Four Seasons” (second-most-watched Women 25-54 confirmed, 5 NAACP Image Awards confirmed, 4 Emmy nominations confirmed, Hollywood Walk of Fame November 2025 confirmed, Make It Make Sense tour confirmed, September 2022 Wendy Williams replacement confirmed); NewscastStudio — “Sherri Shepard talker canceled” (Debmar-Mercury would have zero self-produced shows confirmed); Variety — “The Jennifer Hudson Show Renewed for Fifth Season” (February 2026 — Fox Television Stations + Telepictures confirmed, Women 25-54 +10% YoY confirmed, social followers +90.7% to 17.5M confirmed, impressions +242.8% 7.5B confirmed, engagement +164.1% 537M confirmed, Spirit Tunnel 6B views confirmed, #1 TikTok + Threads confirmed, 13 Daytime Emmy nominations confirmed, 4 NAACP Image Awards confirmed, Season 4 guests Lizzo/Kate Hudson/Hilary Duff/Sterling K. Brown/Mariah Carey/Selena Gomez/Cardi B confirmed, Frank Cicha quote confirmed); TVLine — “The Jennifer Hudson Show Renewed For Season 5” (February 19, 2026 date confirmed, EGOT winner confirmed, 2022 premiere confirmed, Spirit Tunnel not on broadcast but viral confirmed); Deadline — “The Jennifer Hudson Show Renewed for Season 5 in Syndication” (Fox stations lead group confirmed, Telepictures/WBD confirmed, 2026-27 season confirmed); Variety — “Jennifer Hudson on the End of ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’” (February 2026 — “Kelly is amazing. She’s a GOAT” quote confirmed at Goat premiere); NewsNation — “Is Jennifer Hudson’s show the latest to be canceled after Kelly Clarkson?” (February 2026 — “inaccurate to state cancelled” rep quote confirmed, $350K-$600K per episode range confirmed); Hollywood Reporter — “Stephen Colbert Reveals Final Late Show Date” (January 28, 2026 — May 21 2026 finale confirmed, George Cheeks “irreplaceable” CBS statement confirmed, “purely financial” confirmed); E! Online — “Late Show With Stephen Colbert

Emily

Popcorn in hand and a opinion ready — Emily covers movie reviews, box office buzz, and all things cinema at Popcorn Review.