If Ellen DeGeneres steps down from her long-running daytime talk show—and the allegations made against the workplace she runs certainly make it sound like she ought to—a rare window of opportunity will open. While rumors have suggested the unimaginative suits in charge of picking a replacement host have James Corden in mind, the internet has rallied around a much better choice: Actor and comedian Eric Andre.
As anyone who’s seen Andre’s own talk show knows, he’s a perfect fit for the job. His introductions are just as high-energy as Degeneres’ and he’s an incredible interviewer, skilled at making his guests comfortable enough to share all sorts of fun anecdotes. It’s obvious that he deserves the gig, but it took Gabe Gurwin tweeting a suggestion to “get Eric Andre to replace Ellen” (and adding the important point, too, that producers should “keep [the] show format the same” and not “change the name”) for the world to realize that this is a goal worth fighting for.
Before long, someone with the appropriate handle of “RANCHPOSTING FAN SQUAD” started a Change.org petition to gather signatures, letting the bigwigs know what a groundswell of support this idea has behind it. It’s already got about 60,000 of the 75,000 signatures it’s aiming for, and recently received a boost from Eric Andre himself—which is good, we suppose, since he’d have to host the thing. Andre showed his support by tweeting a pair of photos, one with his face grafted onto Degeneres’ head …
… and another where his features have been mixed into hers, creating a stunning hybrid talk show host destined to bridge the gap between daytime and late night programming.
Now that Andre’s on board, the dream of a properly revamped Ellen is closer than ever before. Make it happen, internet. Sign the petition. Let your voices be heard. The Ellen show has been hosted by an Ellen for far too long. It needs a new, vibrant personality to take the reins. It needs an Eric.
[via IndieWire]
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