Could 'The Talk' Be Over? CBS Execs Are 'Panicking' As Views Drop To 1.5 Million

It sounds like The Talk may be in trouble as insiders spilled to Page Six that producers and network executives are worried after the show's ratings dropped to 1.5 million this year.

With their competitor ABC’s The View raking in 3 million viewers, the lack of audience is a big cause of concern. 

"The View has been growing at a huge rate during the COVID lockdown, and The Talk is literally the lowest-rated show in the whole CBS lineup," the CBS insider said. "At one point, The Talk and The View were only 30,000 viewers apart … Sharon Osbourne and Sheryl Underwood’s plan of getting rid of Marie Osmond was clearly a mistake in terms of ratings and number of viewers."

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"Nothing is working," the show insider added. "We are now the lowest-rated network program and we can’t get any traction. To lose more than half a million viewers in a year is catastrophic for a daytime show. Unless we can hire Gayle King, Oprah or Meghan Markle, the writing is on the wall."

The Talk has rotated its line-up several times since it launched in 2010. In December, Eve was the latest cohost to depart as she will focus on her family, but travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic also influenced her choice to leave the talk show.

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However, the most notable cohost departure may have been Osmond, who was on the show for only one season. According to Page Six, Osmond was axed after Osbourne and Underwood threatened to quit the show unless Osmond was booted off the series. Ultimately, Osmond said she was leaving to "pursue other projects" and spend more time with her family. 

The source explained that the rotating roster of hosts — such as Amanda Kloots, Rumer Willis and Elaine Welteroth, who will replace Eve — has not been a ratings hit. As the audience shrinks, producers and executives are "panicked and frustrated."

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However, not everyone in the CBS camp is concerned about the Emmy-winning show. "The Talk does better than the other competing syndicated daytime series. It is the newest show in the daytime lineup and other shows in the lineup have been on air for decades prior. Show producers and execs are not panicked and the show is not in jeopardy of getting canceled," another insider told the outlet.