Drew Barrymore’s Talk Show Ramps Up as Kelly Clarkson ‘Seems to Be Pulling Back’ on TV Career: Source

Drew Barrymore’s feel-good talk show may have started out as the underdog, but it’s finally found its footing over the past few years — while Kelly Clarkson’s dedication to her own chat-fest appears to be dwindling.

The 50 First Dates star, 50, has not only been “rewarded with early renewals” for her show’s sixth season, which premieres in September, but it’s “grown internationally,” according to a source.

“Drew isn’t afraid to pick up the phone and personally ask agents to book their clients on the show. She does it all the time – and it works!”  the source exclusively spills to Globe. “But there’s also been some re-evaluating of the whole series now that it’s got five years under its belt and Kelly Clarkson seems to be pulling back from her own daytime show.”

On top of that, Barrymore also brings an appealing sort of “wild energy” to the studio that is “chaotic,” “unpredictable” and “very Drew.” While critics mocking her “unconventional interview style” and willingness “to burst into tears” on air has been an “obstacle” for the show in the past, she’s still “making more money than she has ever made with this series thanks to her ownership stake.”

“Unlike Kelly, she’s clearly in this game for the long haul!” adds the source.

This comes several months after the “Miss Independent” singer was mysteriously absent from The Kelly Clarkson Show for a week in March due to a “personal matter,” per TMZ. She was quickly replaced by guest hosts, including Simu Liu and Molly Sims.

Earlier this month, Clarkson also left fans in a frenzy after she canceled the first two shows of her Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace less than two hours before showtime. She later claimed it was to avoid damaging her vocal cords in a statement shared on Instagram.

“I love Kelly dearly, but the whiplash is a lot with her right now,” a staffer who works on The Kelly Clarkson Show told the Daily Mail. “She’s all in on the talk show, then she’s not, then she is again. She’s performing in Vegas, now she’s not. It’s her voice. It’s personal issues. It’s enough to make you crazy.”

Although the source described her as the “sweetest woman in show business,” they noted that she was “being a flake.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s how it feels. She’s being flaky,” continued the source. “And that’s very hard to be in business with.”