'The Talk' Producers Concerned For Future Of The Show Amid Elaine Welteroth's Departure: Tension On Set 'Is Off The Charts', Says Source
Another one bites the dust!
In the wake of Elaine Welteroth’s shocking Aug. 31 announcement that she was leaving The Talk after just one season, producers are stressing about the show’s future, an insider tells OK!.
“There’s always been a lot of drama, but this is getting ridiculous,” scoffs the insider, noting that Welteroth’s exit comes a mere two weeks after her fellow cohost Carrie Ann Inaba, 53, revealed she wouldn’t be returning this fall.
“The tension on the set is off the charts,” adds the insider. “People are in panic mode.”
Welteroth, 34, is the latest in a long line of revolving-door departures from the famously fractious gabfest. On Aug. 20, Inaba — who’d been on a medical leave of absence since April — revealed she was officially ending her three-season run.
Marie Osmond and Eve both quit late last year, and Sharon Osbourne, 68, one of the show’s original panelists, was fired in April amid allegations of racism after her nasty on-air spat with Sheryl Underwood.
- Power Grab! 'The Talk' Cohosts Sheryl Underwood & Elaine Welteroth 'Coming After Each Other' To Fill Sharon Osbourne's 'Boss' Boots: Source
- Has Sharon Osbourne Hit Her Breaking Point? Embattled Former Host Seen Looking Disheveled After Jerry O’Connell Replacement News
- 'The Talk' Host Sheryl Underwood Makes It Clear To Jerry O'Connell That She Is The 'Star Of The Show' Post-Sharon Osbourne Ousting
OK! reported in March that tensions ran high between Underwood and Osbourne after the former America's Got Talent judge defended old friend, Piers Morgan. "Sharon was already hyper-emotional, and she was expecting cover from Sheryl, and then she felt attacked," an insider claimed. "In the post-show meeting, she screamed, ‘I’m getting my lawyers!’”
However, the drama that has come with the frequent fights and host exits was too much for Welteroth.
“No one will admit it publicly, but seeing that vicious catfight played a big part in Elaine’s decision,” spills the insider.
The former Teen Vogue editor “came to The Talk raring to go and knowing full well that things can get pretty scrappy,” the insider says. “But she wasn’t prepared for how the claws came out.”
Making matters worse, Underwood, 57, a 10-season vet who far outranks remaining cohosts Amanda Kloots and newbie Jerry O'Connell “has been acting like the queen bee ever since.”
OK! reported in mid July that Stand By Me actor would replace her and become the show's first full time male cohost, but according to the insider, Underwood's queen bee status has “caused a lot of resentment.”
Now, producers are scrambling to find replacements following the recent host departures. “They’re reaching out to celebs who’ve guest hosted this year, like Jamie Lee Curtis and Christie Brinkley, but good luck trying to get them — or anybody else — to take a permanent seat,” dishes the insider. “The show is supposed to be fun and thought provoking, but it seems like it’s just turning into something toxic.”
