Kris Jenner Enters Battle for Oprah's Throne

Kardashian mom is the latest to join crowded daytime talk show field.

ByABC News
October 10, 2012, 11:10 AM

Oct. 11, 2012— -- intro: Daytime could get even more crowded, with Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner as the latest media personality to throw her hat into the talk show ring in the battle for Oprah Winfrey's daytime throne.

Deadline Hollywood reported that Jenner is in talks with Twentieth Television to host her own daytime talk show with a six-week test run on Fox TV stations as early as this summer.

Jenner's rep did not respond immediately to ABCNews.com's request for comment.

Jenner, mother of Kim Kardashian and wife of Bruce Jenner, has already built up a TV empire with E! reality show "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" franchise and has served as a fill-in host on "The Talk" and the fourth hour of "Today."

Lacey Rose, senior television writer at The Hollywood Reporter, calls Jenner's potential move to daytime "not wildly surprising."

"She's not afraid to put herself out there," Rose told ABCNews.com. "There's some degree of potential ratings appeal as she can parade the family through. Whether she can hold an audience's attention on a daily basis remains to be seen."

She would also join a crowded field of daytime talkers, including Katie Couric, Steve Harvey, Jeff Probst and Ricki Lake, as well as fall hopefuls Queen Latifah and Bethenny Frankel.

Winfrey's departure opened up the field. At the same time, the field is a lot more crowded than when she reigned as the talk show queen.

"I don't foresee there being someone of Oprah's size again," Rose said. "But if you look at someone like Ellen Degeneres, who has seen her ratings soar, there are bigger slices of the pie to be had."

Click through to see who will be eating pie this fall and beyond.

quicklist: 1title: Katie Courictext: Couric, whose show airs on ABC, is the current leader in the daytime talk show stakes. She's proved she can get the A-list celebrities, such as Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lopez and Barbra Streisand, and tackle tough topics,such as child molesters. She had the best debut of any talk show in 10 years since "Dr. Phil" and crushed her competitors. By the second week, Couric's ratings were off by 10 percent, but she still topped the competition.

"Katie has been out-performing everyone else, but expectations have been sky high, and that has worked against her in many ways," Rose said. "She is delivering a viewership. She is not going away anytime soon."media: 17443038

quicklist: 2title: Steve Harveytext: Another talk show newcomer, Steve Harvey is best known for his standup and radio show and as the host of "Family Feud." Coming off the heels of his bestselling books about relationships, 2009's "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man," which was later adapted into a hit movie, and 2010's "Straight Talk, No Chaser: How to Find, Keep, and Understand a Man," Harvey tries to help real people with real problems using a "funny, fresh, insightful and commonsense approach." He is Couric's biggest competitor, debuting with a 1.5 rating to her 2.7 rating, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"He is the biggest surprise and success in a lot of ways," Rose said. "One of the reasons is he has a very clear brand and his fans know who he is and what he's going to deliver. Also, his show costs a lot less to produce, and that's advantageous."media: 17443513

quicklist: 3title: Ricki Laketext: Talk show veteran Ricki Lake returned to daytime TV this fall with her new talk show, "Ricki." Lake, star of John Waters' "Hairspray," hosted her own show from 1993-2004, even earning a Daytime Emmy nod. This go-round, the woman who's touted as "America's girlfriend" will cover topics that reflect "where she and her audience are now in their lives," according to Twentieth TV, which produces the show. Those topics include parenting, weight loss and losing love and finding it again -- which Lake, who recently married for the second time, knows a little something about. With less than stellar ratings, Lake has already replaced her executive producer with Gail Steinberg, who produced Lake's previous show.

"I don't think she's wowing anyone just yet," Rose said. "Who is she trying to reach, that's the question. It's not clear (her previous audience) is still there."media: 17443378

quicklist: 4title: Jeff Probsttext: Jeff Probst has won five Primetime Emmys as the host of "Survivor" and he has served as a guest host on "Live! With Kelly" and "Larry King Live," but as he has learned as the host of his own daytime talker, "The Jeff Probst Show," a talk show is a different animal. His new show has had a disappointing start perhaps because he is still trying to figure out the show's focus -- he included inspiring stories on the debut episode -- and the audience is still getting to know its host. Still, he managed to pull just ahead of Lake in the ratings.

"He's one of the bigger disappointments," Rose said. "It's not clear people know who he is and what his show is about. I think you will see some real tweeks. CBS paid a lot of money for that show and made a big bet on Jeff at daytime, and they won't give up without a fight."media: 17443450

quicklist: 5title: Anderson Coopertext: Anderson Cooper is back for the sophomore season of his talk show, which not only has a new name, "Anderson Live," instead of the previous "Anderson" but a new look too. The show has a new set and a rotating list of guest hosts, as well as a live studio audience. Kristin Chenoweth was first up as co-host. Others include Kellie Pickler, Kelly Osbourne, Erin Andrews and Cyndi Lauper.

"His producers recognized that they needed to make his show more timely and fresher and bring in bigger voices," Rose said. "Anderson is very comfortable in a live environment, and this is a little closer to his sensibility. The ratings aren't there yet, but we'll have to take a wait and see approach."media: 17443546

quicklist: 6title: Queen Latifahtext: There will be another queen in daytime -- if only by name. Queen Latifah, who had a syndicated talk show from 1999 to 2001, is returning to the format next fall with some big name producers, including Will and Jada Pinkett Smith and Sony Pictures. It's not clear what the show's approach will be yet, but judging by Latifah's impressive numbers for her recent Lifetime movie "Steel Magnolias," she willl put up a good fight.

"She definitely has broad appeal and an entertaining side one hopes can cut through a very tough field," Rose said.media: 17443626

quicklist: 7title: Bethenny Frankeltext: Coming off a successful six-affiliate run on Fox TV stations, former "Real Housewives of New York" star Bethenny Frankel will get a crack at national syndication for her talk show, "Bethenny," this fall. She's got talk show powerhouse Ellen Degeneres and her production team behind her.

"She was fun and she put herself out there, and I think that proved to be interesting for many of the same reasons 'Real Housewives' works. It's voyeuristic escape and it's light and fun," Rose said.media: 16607122