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THE TALK’S Sheryl Underwood has been seen sitting alone on the show’s ‘tense’ set while her co-hosts mingle and laugh with each other, a source told The U.S. Sun.
The alleged divide amongst the cast comes during an emotional time as in just three weeks, the daytime show will call it quits for good – airing their final episode on December 20.
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As The Talk comes down to its final episodes, tension appears to be forming with the season 15 cast of Sheryl, 61, along with co-hosts Akbar Gbajabiamila, Amanda Kloots, Natalie Morales and Jerry O’Connell.
A show insider claimed that amongst the talent, veteran actor Jerry, 50, is “for sure the most loved” amongst the cast with “both the crew and the audience.”
“In between takes, he walks around and talks to everyone and everyone loves him. The cast, the crew, the audience… everybody loves Jerry.
“You won’t meet a more charismatic guy on set and not a single person ever has anything bad to say about him.
“He will join the other hosts sometimes and they will all talk and laugh amongst themselves.
“Sometimes Sheryl is included but oftentimes she will go backstage by herself and isn’t included in the lighter conversations,” the source claimed.
They continued: “When the full cast is all on set and on the stage, Sheryl is often times sitting alone, texting on her phone and keeps to herself while the others will get up to talk to each other.
“When just Jerry is out and walking around, the vibe is super fun. When Sheryl came out it seemed noticeably tenser with both crew and the on-camera cast.
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“Everyone gets more serious too, it’s just a different vibe. Almost like when the principal is in the classroom and everyone has to be on their best behavior and can’t relax.”
The U.S. Sun reached out to a rep for The Talk for comment.
The alleged tension has been around for a long time as back in 2021, a source claimed to The U.S. Sun that Sheryl had been accused of mistreating producers.
The insider alleged: “Sheryl will not allow producers to speak to her directly. When any of the producers have questions about their segments they are required to go through Sheryl’s personal producer.
“She fields all questions and answers related to Sheryl and communicates them to each individual producer.
“This arrangement came from Sheryl after learning staff was complaining to HR that she was mean and combative to deal with.
“Sheryl decided to protect herself from future claims by banning anyone from dealing with her directly. The system works because no one really wants to deal with Sheryl.”
The source added staffers allegedly “don’t know what to expect when they deal with her.”
DONE TALKING
In April, CBS shocked fans when it announced The Talk was coming to an end after 15 drama-filled years.
Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment, and David Stapf, president of CBS Studios, released a joint statement to Deadline.
Hosting and producing a year-round talk show is no easy task.
CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach
“The Talk broke new ground when it launched 14 years ago by returning daytime talk to CBS with a refreshing and award-winning format.
“Throughout the years, it has been a key program on CBS’ top rated daytime line-up as it brought timely, important and entertaining topics and discussions into living rooms around the globe.”
She continued: “It goes without saying that hosting and producing a year-round talk show is no easy task, and we express our sincere gratitude to our amazing hosts.
“We also want to acknowledge our former show hosts and colleagues who contributed throughout the seasons.
“We truly appreciate the skill, creativity, and dedication everyone involved brought to the show every day,” the statement read.
While CBS has yet to officially fill in its daytime slot after December, the network ordered a full season of soap opera The Gates, which is likely to be taking over the hour.
The Talk series finale will air on CBS on December 20, 2024.
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