Top 10 TV Hosts That Bombed So Hard It Ruined Their Careers
#10: Kris Jenner
Matriarch of the famous Kardashian/Jenner clan, Kris Jenner became a household name with “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.” The seminal reality show ran for twenty seasons on E! between 2007 and 2021. In 2013, Jenner began hosting her own talk show, simply titled “Kris.” It aired on a practice basis throughout the summer, beginning in July and ending the following month. The finale memorably featured Kanye West, who hadn’t been interviewed in years. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to save the fledgling pop culture program, which was ultimately axed by Fox. Jenner dropped out of the talk show biz for good and continued appearing on “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.”
#9: Danny Bonaduce
This actor was enormously popular back in the early ‘70s, starring as Danny Partridge in the classic ABC sitcom “The Partridge Family.” The ‘90s saw the now-grown actor attempting to kickstart a talk show career, but to middling results. 1995 saw the creation of “Danny,” but this only lasted one year. At the turn of the 21st century, the star hosted another talk show called “The Other Half” alongside Dick Clark and Mario Lopez. Despite the strong cast, the show never caught on and ended in 2003. Bonaduce even had his own reality series on VH1, “Breaking Bonaduce,” but this too failed to stand the test of time. Luckily, he has enjoyed much greater success in radio and has been working in Seattle for over a decade.
#8: Lilly Singh
Do YouTubers do well outside of YouTube? That was the question on everyone’s minds upon the release of “A Little Late with Lilly Singh.” Singh is an enormously popular and successful YouTuber, and she has developed a legion of fans throughout her decade-plus on the platform. She began hosting her own NBC talk show in 2019. While it served as a watershed moment for representation in late night TV, it was canceled after just two seasons.With that, Singh’s career as a talk show host was effectively over, though she’s continued to build her career through her many other endeavors.
#7: Phil Cowan & Paul Robins
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Beginning in 1986, the newly-created Fox Network hoped to get their foot in the late night game with “The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers.” It didn’t work. Their next try was “The Wilton North Report,” hosted by radio DJ team Phil Cowan and Paul Robins. The two weren’t well-versed in the world of TV and had little time to prepare, as they were hired late in the production process. Amid turbulent behind-the-scenes drama and with inexperienced hosts, “The Wilton North Report” was an unmitigated disaster. It bombed with critics and was shown the door after just four weeks. Cowan and Robbins failed as talk show hosts, but they later found success on the technology program “The Next Step.”
#6: Gabrielle Carteris
In the ‘90s, Gabrielle Carteris starred as Andrea Zuckerman on the hit Fox teen drama “Beverly Hills, 90210.” An intelligent student interested in the likes of politics and media, Andrea remained a regular on the show until the end of the fifth season. Reportedly looking for something new, Carteris was given the chance by 20th Television to helm a talk show. The result was “Gabrielle,” a very short-lived program that ended after one nine-month long season, airing from September 11, 1995 to June 19, 1996. Following the cancellation of her talk show, Carteris continued acting and later became the president of the entertainment-based trade union SAG-AFTRA.
#5: Robert Kilroy-Silk
If there’s one thing we learned from “Shafted,” it’s that politicians do not necessarily make good game show hosts. Then again, the two aren’t really related, so that particular fact isn’t very surprising. Robert Kilroy-Silk served as a UK Member of Parliament between 1974 and 1986. He later found success on television, hosting the long-running talk show “Kilroy.” But talk shows are not game shows, and it’s here where Kilroy-Silk floundered. “Shafted” is the source of much derisive laughter in the United Kingdom, and some believe it to be one of the worst game shows ever made. It lasted just four episodes before it was game over. At least the host had “Kilroy” to fall back on…
#4: Fran Drescher
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This Emmy-nominated actress found incredible success on the CBS sitcom “The Nanny” which ran for six seasons in the ‘90s. Following a brief stint in movies, Drescher re-entered the world of television. In 2010, she began hosting her own program, uniquely titled “The Fran Drescher Tawk Show” (with a w replacing the l). But the daytime series struggled in the ratings and was not picked up following its brief trial. It aired just sixteen episodes between November and December. While her talk show was a failure, it didn’t hurt Drescher’s acting career, and in 2021 she replaced Gabrielle Carteris as president of SAG-AFTRA. It really is a small world.
#3: Mike Richards
On November 8, 2020, the television industry lost an icon when “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek died of cancer. One major question loomed - “What happens now?” The answer was a rather controversial revolving door of hosts, which included the show’s own producer, Mike Richards. In August of 2021, it was announced that Richards would be made the permanent host. But when he was thrust into the public spotlight, some past controversies were laid bare, including numerous lawsuits and problematic, harmful remarks that he had made on his podcast. In the wake of the controversy, Richards stepped down as host of “Jeopardy!” and was fired from his various producing roles. And just like that, his career in television imploded.
#2: Magic Johnson
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Suffice to say, Magic Johnson is a talented man. In fact, that’s putting it quite mildly. A five-time NBA champion, twelve-time all star, and Olympic gold medalist, Johnson is undeniably one of the greatest basketball players of all time. But basketball talent does not always carry over to talk show hosting. Johnson began hosting “The Magic Hour” in June 1998. Its clever title was the best thing about it. The talk show was instantly lambasted, and Johnson’s ex-colleague Craig Shoemaker even reportedly called it “an absolute nightmare.” Of particular criticism were Johnson’s presenter skills - or lack thereof. In September 1998, “The Magic Hour” got the ax, proving more of an airball than a slam dunk.
#1: Chevy Chase
Did you know that Chevy Chase had his own late night talk show? Exactly, that’s how bad it was. A ton of money went into “The Chevy Chase Show,” with Fox apparently paying the star $3 million and turning Sunset Boulevard’s Aquarius Theater into the Chevy Chase Theater. However, the result was reviled, with critics taking note of Chase’s poor showings and the rambunctious behavior of the crowd. Even the network’s chairwoman at the time, Lucie Salhany, called it “uncomfortable and embarrassing.” Despite some great guests, “The Chevy Chase Show” bombed and it only took five weeks for it to get canceled. It was a bigger disaster than Clark Griswold’s Christmas.
