NBC Drops Steve Harvey’s Talk Show, Replaces Him With Kelly Clarkson

Fans of his casket-sharp suits and oversized veneers may be sad to read the following news: Steve Harvey’s talk show, Steve, will be ending its run in June.

Variety reports that the show’s demise may have come as a result of a battle between NBCUniversal and Endeavor’s IMG Original Content.

Harvey first jumped into the talk show game in 2012 with The Steve Harvey Show, which was co-produced by Endemol Shine North America and NBC Universal. The show taped in Chicago and followed the same type of format as Oprah or Dr. Phil, with Harvey’s signature “comedy” interjected.

When the five-year deal with Endemol ended in 2016, Harvey accepted a deal from IMG that gave him a much larger ownership stake in the show, a higher salary and more creative control, and relocated production to Los Angeles. The new iteration of the show focused more on celebrity guests and comedic segments, and was renamed Steve. As Variety notes, the new deal raised concerns about a possible conflict of interest as IMG is a corporate sibling of WME, which represents Harvey.

According to Variety, NBCUniversal was big mad over losing its stake in Harvey’s show. In September, the media conglomerate signed a deal with Kelly Clarkson to launch a talk show with her in the same slot currently occupied by Harvey’s show. The Kelly Clarkson Show will debut in the fall.

In the meantime, Steve taped its last episode Thursday (5/9). The show will continue to air original episodes through June and will air reruns through September.

Even without his talk show, Harvey will continue to be a regular fixture on television as he hosts Family Feud.