14 Times Talk Show Hosts Got Fired Or Their Shows Got Axed (And Why)

Warning: Some entries mention sexual assault.

Typically, a talk show ends when the host decides to retire or move on or when the network cancels it due to something like low ratings. Sometimes, however, the reasons a show comes to an end are a little more complex.

Here are 14 times talk show hosts got fired or their shows got axed:

1.In 2013, MSNBC canceled Up Late with Alec Baldwin two weeks after TMZ published a video of Alec Baldwin calling a photographer a gay slur.

He was initially suspended and apologized.

In a joint statement, MSNBC and Alec said, "We are jointly confirming that Up Late will not continue on MSNBC."

The network added, "This is a mutual parting, and we wish Alec all the best."

2.In 2021, ESPN "parted ways" with NBA Countdown and The Jump analyst Paul Pierce following an Instagram Live in which he played poker, drank, and smoked with friends and exotic dancers in violation of COVID-19 safety protocols.

Seemingly in response, he tweeted, "Big Things coming soon stay tuned make sure u smile #Truthshallsetufree."

He also tweeted, "I can't lose even when I lose I'm winning."

3.In late 2022, the Daily Mail published pictures suggesting that GMA3 cohosts Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes had been allegedly having an affair. As a result, they were temporarily pulled from the show, and in early 2023, they were officially removed.

In a statement, an ABC News spokesperson said, "After several productive conversations with Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes about different options, we all agreed it's best for everyone that they move on from ABC News. We recognize their talent and commitment over the years and are thankful for their contributions."

ABC News president Kim Godwin reportedly said that, while the relationship wasn't a violation of company policy, it was classed as a "distraction" both externally and internally.

4.In 1989, The Morton Downey Jr. Show was officially canceled due to low ratings, but reports also linked it to the host's behavior off screen. The cancellation came three months after he reportedly claimed to have been attacked by neo-Nazis in an airport bathroom. He never filed a police reported, and airports officials believed the alleged attack was a hoax.

Executive producer Bill Boggs told the Washington Post, "This is a major disappointment, but I'm not surprised. We've been waiting for the shoe to drop for weeks. The staff is handling it with a tremendous sense of humor. We've all been on a roller-coaster ride without a seat belt, anyway."

5.In 2016, NBC News fired Today host Billy Bush after a 2005 Access Hollywood video leaked in which he and Donald Trump were caught on hot mics joking about non-consensually groping women.

At the time, Melania Trump told CNN that the host "egged on" her husband into "boy talk." At the second presidential debate, he denied having acted on the "locker room talk."

In a statement, Billy said, "Obviously I'm embarrassed and ashamed. It's no excuse, but this happened 11 years ago — I was younger, less mature, and acted foolishly in playing along. I'm very sorry."

In 2019, he was hired by Extra. During an early 2023 taping, he made a sexual joke about Kendall Jenner, which did not air.

In a statement, a Telepictures spokesperson told Deadline, "As with many forms of production in the entertainment industry, the show's creative process allows the flexibility to try different jokes and banter. In the end, some material lands on the cutting room floor, including remarks that may be too edgy to air on broadcast television."

6.In 2017, NBC fired longtime Today host Matt Lauer after an unnamed female colleague filed a detailed complaint alleging that he began sexually harassing her during the 2014 Sochi Olympics and continued when they returned to work in New York. After her complaint, several more alleged victims came forward with allegations of workplace harassment.

In a statement, he said, "There are no words to express my sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused others by words and actions. To the people I have hurt, I am truly sorry. As I am writing this, I realize the depth of the damage and disappointment I have left behind at home and at NBC. Some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized, but there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed. I regret that my shame is now shared by the people I cherish dearly. Repairing the damage will take a lot of time and soul searching, and I'm committed to beginning that effort. It is now my full-time job. The last two days have forced me to take a very hard look at my own troubling flaws. It's been humbling. I am blessed to be surrounded by the people I love. I thank them for their patience and grace."

7.In 2018, Megyn Kelly Today was canceled after Megyn Kelly defended the use of blackface in Halloween costumes.

During a discussion about some colleges that were banning offensive Halloween costumes, she said, "I have to give you a fair warning, I'm a little fired up about Halloween costumes this morning. I mean, truly, political correctness has gone amok. There are strict rules on what you may and may not wear by someone who thinks is the boss of you."

Later in the episode, she said, "What is racist? You do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface for Halloween, or a Black person who puts on whiteface for Halloween. Back when I was a kid, that was OK just as long as you were dressing as a character."

Her guests,  Melissa Rivers, Jacob Soboroff, and Jenna Bush Hager, voiced their disagreement with her comments.

Megyn later apologized in an internal email, writing, "One of the wonderful things about my job is that I get the chance to express and hear a lot of opinions. Today is one of those days where listening carefully to other points of view, including from friends and colleagues, is leading me to rethink my own views. ... This is a time for more understanding, love, sensitivity and honor, and I want to be part of that. I look forward to continuing that discussion."

The next day, she apologized to viewers on air, saying, "I want to begin with two words: I'm sorry. ... I learned that given the history of blackface being used in awful ways in this country, it is not OK for that to be part of any costume, Halloween or otherwise. I have never been a PC kind of person, but I do understand the value in being sensitive to our history, particularly on race and ethnicity. This past year has been so painful for many people of color. The country feels so divided, and I have no wish to add to that pain and offense. I believe this is a time for more understanding, more love, more sensitivity and honor. Thank you for listening and for helping me listen too."

The show was canceled by the end of the week.

8.In 2021, Sharon Osbourne was fired from The Talk after she argued with cohost Sheryl Underwood on air and defended her friend Piers Morgan's comments about Meghan Markle, which Sheryl called "racist."

On the episode, Sharon said, "Did I like everything [Piers] said? Did I agree with what he said? No. Because it's his opinion. It's not my opinion. ... I support him for his freedom of speech, and he's my friend. I'm not racist. ... I don't care what color or what religion anyone is. Are you a nice person? That's what I judge you on."

Sheryl replied, "What would you say to people who may feel that while you're standing by your friend, it appears you gave validation or safe haven to something that he has uttered that is racist, even if you don't agree?"

Their heated discussion continued during an ad break.

After the clip went viral, Sharon told Variety that she agreed to being asked about Piers, but she was "so hurt, caught off guard and stunned by what [she] was being asked and not prepared." She said, "I'm a big girl. I'm a professional. However, CBS blindsided me. I don't know why they did it to me. The showrunners told me it came from executives to do this to me."

CBS conducted an internal review, which reportedly brought up allegations from two former cohosts. Holly Robinson-Peete alleged that Sharon said she was "too ghetto" for the show, and Leah Remini alleged that she referred to cohost Julie Chen Moonves using racially charged language on a frequent basis.

Sharon denied all allegations. Her reps gave a statement to Entertainment Weekly, which said, "The only thing worse than a disgruntled former employee is a disgruntled former talk show host."

In a statement, CBS said, "The events of the March 10 broadcast were upsetting to everyone involved, including the audience watching at home. As part of our review, we concluded that Sharon's behavior toward her co-hosts during the March 10 episode did not align with our values for a respectful workplace. We also did not find any evidence that CBS executives orchestrated the discussion or blindsided any of the hosts."

Appearing on Fox & Friends a year later, Sharon said, "I was this lamb slaughtered that morning, and CBS denied responsibility. ... I didn't want that to be the end of my career, and I thought it was unfair."

It makes sense when a host is fired due to their own bad behavior, but sometimes, the network seemingly has other reasons for letting a host go.

9.In 2012, Leah Remini alleged that she was fired from The Talk the previous year because of cohost Sharon Osbourne's opinion of her. On Twitter, she said, "Sharon thought me and Holly [Robinson-Peete] were 'ghetto.' ... We were not funny, awkward, and didn't know ourselves."

"She has the power that was given to her," she concluded.

In response, Sharon tweeted, "In response to Leah Remini's continuous comments that I had her fired from The Talk, let me just go on the record to say I had absolutely nothing to do with her departure from the show and have no idea why she continues to take to Twitter to spread this false gossip. Leah knows that I have never been in the position to hire or fire anyone on the show. That being said, my only wish is that Leah would just stop all this negative, unprofessional and childish behavior. It's been seven months. ... It's time to move on. Leah is a very talented actress, and I only wish her happiness and success."

Then, Leah tweeted, "If someone wants me to stop, they should call a lawyer and tell them what I am NOT telling the truth about. We can go from there."

10.In 2003, MSNBC blamed its cancellation of Phil Donahue's show, Donahue, on how expensive it was to produce. However, soon after, a leaked internal memo reportedly called him a "difficult public face for NBC in a time of war" because he spoke out against the US's invasion of Iraq.

In 2013, he told Democracy Now, "Well, I think what happened to me, the biggest lesson, I think, is the — how corporate media shapes our opinions and our coverage. This was a decision — my decision — the decision to release me came from far above. This was not an assistant program director who decided to separate me from MSNBC. They were terrified of the antiwar voice. And that is not an overstatement. Antiwar voices were not popular. And if you're General Electric, you certainly don't want an antiwar voice on a cable channel that you own; Donald Rumsfeld is your biggest customer. So, by the way, I had to have two conservatives on for every liberal. I could have Richard Perle on alone, but I couldn't have Dennis Kucinich on alone. I was considered two liberals. It really is funny almost, when you look back on how — how the management was just frozen by the antiwar voice. We were scolds. We weren't patriotic. American people disagreed with us. And we weren't good for business."

11.Sally Jessy Raphael felt that Sally "went downhill" after NBC Universal "got a hold of it, [and it became a] 'Who's your baby mama?' type of show." On the Raised by Ricki podcast, she said, "NBC Universal owned Jerry [Springer], Maury [Povich] and me — and I'm the one who wouldn't do the [most exploitative topics] so they let me go."

She continued, "Not only didn't I have a say, but let me tell you how bad this was. I had 250 employees...and I told them, because I was told by the company...we were going to be renewed and everything was fine. Then they called me in one day...and told me, 'No, we're not continuing the show. You're off.' I had to call the 250 people together...and say, 'I'm terribly sorry. I don't know if you'll believe me, but I was lied to.' And that was the end of that."

12.When Lopez Tonight was canceled in 2011, TBS reportedly only gave George Lopez two days notice. He told HuffPost Live, "I don't think TBS wanted that show, I don't think they wanted that demographic."

He also attributed the show's cancellation to the network's unwillingness to take risks when trying to bring in a late-night audience.

However, he had no regrets about the show. He said, "The show was on two years, you want to talk about failure, do two weeks and get canceled. I don't consider it a failure. I had a great band, I had a lot of great guests, and a lot of great memories."

13.In 2017, NBC canceled Today's Take to make room for Megyn Kelly Today. On her own talk show, Tamron Hall, she said, "I go into work one day. I left fired. 'Demoted' I guess is what they called it. I called it fired."

"Inside, I was falling apart. I had worked since I was 14," she said.

She chose to leave NBC.

14.And finally, the moment Tamar Braxton was fired from The Real in 2016 was caught on camera for her reality show Braxton Family Values. In the clip, she said, "I'm so humiliated. ... I know everybody's gonna think it's something I did or 'this lady, she's got a big mouth' or...I don't know, it's just not right."

On Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in 2019, she addressed rumors that one of her cohosts got her fired. She said, "It has been said, but I don't know for sure. I know for sure I'm not gonna go on a press tour like some other people have. But at this point in my life, I'm past that. I wish everybody well."

The year prior, her former cohosts addressed her firing on The Breakfast Club.

Loni Love said, "I think she's embarrassed, she knows the truth. If you don't like us, if you thought we had you fired, why would you sit with us when we all got nominated for an Emmy?"

She also alleged that she was told about an unaired, unedited clip from Braxton Family Values where Vincent Herbert, Tamar's then-husband/manager, told her the cohosts were "jealous" of her.

Loni continued, "We all loved her. We were all together with her...we supported her, nobody was jealous. ... Something happened and [Vincent] knows what happened. He's trying to save face, I believe, because he knows that something had happened with him and Tamar."

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE, which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here.