“Wendy Williams” Moves Up Without Wendy

Review based on a national syndicated rating report for the week ending October 24, 2021.

Wendy Williams (0.8 live plus same day national Nielsen rating, up 33% from the week before) successfully kicked off its 13^th season without its eponymous host in the session ending October 24. Guest hosts, including actress Leah Remini for four days, filled in for Williams while she recovers from health complications and moved the gab-fest up from eighth to fifth place on the talk show chart.

Live with Kelly and Ryan (1.7, steady) and Dr. Phil (1.7, steady) remained the ones to beat, tying at the top for a second straight week and continuing to lead the yak pack.

Other big talkers finishing ahead of the surging “Wendy” were Kelly Clarkson (0.9, steady) and Ellen DeGeneres (0.9, steady). Both shows held their ground in the face of significant preemptions for coverage of the death of former US Secretary of State Colin Powell and competition from numerous baseball playoff games on cable.

Among the newest talk show entries sophomore Drew Barrymore attracted 726,000 daily viewers (up 19,000) with a 0.5 household rating, outpacing rookie Nick Cannon with 482,000 daily viewers and a 0.4 rating.

The only magazine able to break into positive territory, overcoming time period blackouts for baseball specials and football, was Access Hollywood (season high 0.8, up 14%). The strip also raced ahead 33% in the advertiser-coveted W25-54 demographic.

Jeopardy (5.6, down 2%) was slightly lower but remained the game show and syndication leader over second place Family Feud (5.3, down 4%).