Jennifer Hudson is shopping a talk show from the Ellen team

Variety

The Oscar-winning former American Idol star is pitching a new daytime talk show that would be produced by the overseeing from The Ellen DeGeneres Show, reports Variety. The Ellen DeGeneres Show executive producers Andy Lassner and Mary Connelly recently shot a test show with Hudson on Ellen's stage at Warner Bros. Studios. "Although not technically an Ellen replacement — her show wouldn’t be a continuation of the Ellen deals and is being shopped as an entirely new series — it would be positioned as Warner Bros. TV’s new flagship daytime talk show now that Ellen is ending its run," reports Variety's Michael Schneider. He adds that "the show has been developed as a first-run syndicated broadcast TV daily strip, and there are currently no plans to pitch to other platforms, including streamers. Warner Bros. Unscripted Television, in association with Telepictures, is behind the new show, which doesn’t yet have an official title. Much of the specifics are still a work in progress, such as whether the show will feature a DJ or live band, and the balance between segments and guests. It’s understood that Warner Bros. did a deep dive to identify a marquee star to fill the Ellen void, and after talking to around 30 people, it was clear Hudson was interested and the obvious choice." Schneider cites Hudson's experience on The Voice and The Voice UK as her having the personality capable of hosting a daily daytime talk show. He also notes that Hudson won a Daytime Emmy this year for interactive media for Oculus Quest’s virtual reality film Baba Yaga, putting her one award away from EGOT status.