'The Talk' Receives Second Highest Ratings Following Sharon Osbourne Exit and People Are Crediting Only One Person
Following Sharon Osbourne's and the other hosts' departure early this year, "The Talk" is regaining popularity with more and more people tuning back in.
Since Natalie Morales joined the Emmy-winning chat show, viewership have skyrocketed, and fans are crediting her with salvaging the show.
As previously reported, Osbourne, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Elaine Welteroth quit the show earlier in the season, leaving it in shambles.
According to Soap Opera Digest, the show's ratings in the final week of October hit 1,526,000 viewers, the most in the show's eight-month history.
The last time ratings were this high was when Osbourne, 69, abruptly left the show in March after an on-air confrontation with Sheryl Underwood, who questioned the Brit's position in defending pal Pier Morgan's criticism of Meghan Markle.
Morales' inclusion has pleased not just the viewers, but also the cast and crew of the show.
According to The Sun, the former NBC broadcaster was using "the secret sauce" to boost the ratings of "The Talk."
"She is someone in the industry that no one has an unkind word to say about and that reputation is well deserved."
They went on to say, "To say she has been welcomed with open arms is an understatement. Love at first sight would be the more accurate way to put it. "
To recap, the show's ratings skyrocketed on the week of October 11 when Natalie Morales arrived.
Morales had the biggest amount of viewers in weeks with 1,459,000.
Behind The Scenes Tensions
Sheryl Underwood, the sole original and long-time host left on "The Talk," is alleged to have been "blindsided" by Natalie Morales' addition, according to the Sun.
She believes she should have been consulted and was notified ahead of time "out of respect for her seniority" on the show.
"Sheryl feels she isn't receiving credit for being the glue that keeps the program together," the insider told the site.
Fire Sheryl Underwood
While some fans praise Natalie Morales with saving the program, others are clamoring for Sheryl Underwood, 57, to be fired.
Fans on Facebook have expressed their dissatisfaction with Underwood, claiming that she should be replaced because she is the only one who is making the show worse.
"I still don't get Sheryl's function in this show. She is absolutely out of place, and she knows it," one user wrote on the show's Facebook video. "I think it is time for her to concentrate on becoming a comedian and not a talk show presenter."
