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10+ TV Hosts Who Were Wrapped Up In Behind-The-Scenes Drama

It's no shock that the TV industry is packed full of drama, scandals, rumors, and more. With how many we, the public, hear about or get to see on screen, it's a mystery how many go on in secret.

Though this isn't a complete secret look into the world of TV hosts, it does reveal some who got in some trouble behind the scenes, with punishments ranging from social media apologies to full-on firings.

Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj

Moreso judges, but host enough that it counts, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj did not get along well during their season together on American Idol.

As TMZ reported, they actually got into a spat on-camera, though it wasn't aired, with Nicki saying, "I told them I'm not [expletive] putting up with her [expletive] highness over there." Maria can also be heard asking, "Oh why, why do I have a three-year-old sitting around me?" The fight escalates quite a bit after that, so it's not shocking that neither judge returned for the following season.

Bob Barker

The well-known and long-time host of The Price Is Right, Bob Barker lost his position due a stacking amount of lawsuits against him. In 13 years, he garnered nine lawsuits from former cast and crew members, including a sexual harassment suit where the victim claimed Barker offered her job security in exchange for sex. Barker denied it all, but still stepped down in 2007.

Ann Curry (and Matt Lauer)

Ann Curry's departure from Today in 2012 caused a whirlwind of questions, with tons of terrible rumors flying around about co-host Matt Lauer and the way she was treated. Reporters confirmed many of these rumors, in which Today staff made Ann's life 'torture' for her last few months on the show, and that it was widely known the only reason she was leaving was because Lauer didn't want her there.

Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen was under a lot of fire in 2020. Following a tweet that asked for stories about the host being mean, many employees coming forward with tales of extremely toxic work environments and discrimination on the Ellen set.

She did address the allegations on air with an apology, but this seemingly called an end to her show as it is now on its last season. She insists the workplace allegations were not tied to her decision to end the show, however.

Jimmy Fallon

Jimmy Fallon also got quite the wave of backlash last year when an old Saturday Night Live sketch made the rounds showing him impersonating comedian Chris Rock while in blackface.

Jimmy did apologize on Twitter for his actions, and Chris even came to his defense, saying, "A lot of people want to say intention doesn't matter, but it does. And I don't think Jimmy Fallon intended to hurt me. And he didn't."

Steve Harvey

Though perhaps he's better known now for his hosting of Family Feud, Steve Harvey ran into some drama back when he was the host of his eponymous talk show in which a memo he sent to staff got leaked. The memo contained very strict rules for speaking to him, making him come across as very cold and just plain rude.

Pat O'Brien

Back in 2005, former host of Access Hollywood and The Insider sent a string of very inappropriate, offensive voicemails to a woman he'd just met. She then chose to give them to the press, which exploded into a major news story.

He checked into rehab for alcoholism not long after, and later blamed an alcohol-induced blackout for those messages, claiming he didn't remember recording them at all.

Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan

Michael Strahan surprised many in 2016 with his incredibly sudden announcement that he'd be leaving Live! With Kelly and Michael for a position with Good Morning America. He announced it on air, but the kicker is that he had told co-host Kelly only minutes before the rest of the world!

In an interview with People magazine a few weeks later, Kelly expressed how taken off guard she felt and suggested that his reveal made her feel disrespected.

Leah Remini, Holly Robinson Peete, and Sharon Osbourne

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Three of the original hosts of The Talk had issues within the first season! It first aired in 2010, and Leah and Holly were let go from the show in 2011.

Leah would later go on Twitter to say that Sharon played a large part in their firing. "Sharon thought me and Holly were 'ghetto'[...] we were not funny, awkward, and didn't know ourselves," she wrote. Sharon denied this claim and wrote it off as 'fake gossip'.

Sharon Osbourne on her own this time

Though her opinions on her fellow cohosts were kept private, for the most part, she seemed to have no issues speaking her mind regarding the hosts of rival show The View. While on The Arsenio Hall Show, she said that besides Barbara Walters, who she loved, the hosts of The View could "go [expletive] themselves."

People did not like that comment, and she did wind up apologizing.

Alec Baldwin

The fact that Alec Baldwin ever had his own late-night talk show is news to many, which makes sense given it was only five episodes long. Called Up Late with Alec Baldwin, he was canceled in November of 2013 after he used an anti-gay slur when talking to paparazzi.

He did apologize, but it wasn't enough to save his just-launched show.

Nicolle Wallace

The View isn't without its own issues. Through its cycle of hosts, it's had a few changes that left people baffled, even the hosts themselves.

When Nicolle Wallace was let go, she was shocked, claiming they never gave her positive or negative comments so she had no idea why they'd want her gone. She later revealed she believes part of the reason was that season not being contentious enough, meaning she was possibly punished for getting along too well with her co-hosts.