Top 10 Times Celebs Guest Hosted Talk Shows

The audience sure seemed to love every minute of RuPaul’s hosting duties on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in the Summer of 2021. The veteran entertainer got everyone's attention from the moment he took the stage, proving he was truly born to perform. For one, he used the opening monologue to address individuals not complying with facemask rules by offering up “Ru’s Rules for the Unruly.” And, naturally, he held a drag show with Jimmy’s staff. All we can say is well done Mama Ru, you could easily host your own talk show - again, that is! You better work though!

Time to rewind and take it back to 1979 when Johnny Carson was king of late night as the host of “The Tonight Show.” But, on one fateful night, Carson let beloved “Muppet” Kermit the Frog take the throne. Yep, that’s right, a puppet hosted “The Tonight Show.” Guests included Leo Sayer, Vincent Price, Dr. Michael Fox, and Bernadette Peters. Kermit also brought the entire “Muppet” gang along with him! It was pretty amazing to see celebrities casually sitting across from a green felt puppet and talk to it like another human being. They should consider themselves lucky though, as it doesn’t get any more iconic than being interviewed by Kermit the Frog!

When the iconic Kim K stepped in for Kelly Ripa on “Live with Kelly and Ryan” in 2017, she proved to be a total natural. Then again, when you spend over a decade on a reality TV show, chances are you’re not going to get nervous in front of some cameras. During the show, Kim recounted meeting Seacrest for the first time and jokingly revealed that North West was not a fan of her brother, Saint. She was also part of interviews with Eric Dane and Kelly Pickler - with zero hiccups! Everything ran smoothly, and she was truly able to show a different side of herself. We’re fairly certain Kim would be a pro at hosting her own talk show!

In 2018, Kristen Bell got the opportunity to guest host “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” The actress’ engaging personality made her a hit with the audience as she effortlessly kept them laughing throughout the taping. Kristen even played a hilarious game of “You Bet Your Daughter” with guest Jamie Foxx and his daughter, Corrine. The stint went so well, she’s actually been named-dropped in rumours regarding Ellen’s eventual replacement. Kristen would also go on to tackle late night by guest-hosting an episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” The starlette even jokingly admitted to hating Matt Damon. Props for continuing the ongoing “gag!”

Harry Styles filled in for James Corden in 2017 and 2019. And what can we say, both times were a smashing success! Styles joked that CBS might finally tell him where the bathroom is if he hosts a third time. On the show, Harry got to do a mini-version of “Carpool Karaoke,” sitting in the driver’s seat with Corden next to him. The wheels were quite literally turned this time around. Styles even played the stomach churning game, “Spill Your Guts,” with guest Kendall Jenner. Safe to say, everyone was completely smitten. We stan king Styles in this role.

In 2012, talk show queen, Oprah Winfrey, fulfilled her lifelong dream when she filled in for Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America.” In true Oprah fashion, the episode proved just as funny as it was emotional. Anchors George and Lara were even shown picking Oprah up, in full hair curlers, to bring her to the show. Winfrey also had plenty of fun photobombing an audience member backstage. In an emotional moment however, Robin Roberts called in to the program to discuss her bone marrow transplant recovery. Naturally, this segment left zero eyes dry. Needless to say, Oprah did a solid job hosting GMA!

If you’ve ever seen Wendy Williams, then you would know that filling in for this “living meme” isn’t an easy task. But, when Wendy took time off due to ongoing health issues, a slew of celebrities were brought on to host the show in her absence. One such guest host, Whitney Cummings, was lauded for her hosting job. The frank comedian did suffer an, ahem, malfunction during rehearsal though. Yep, Whitney ended up splitting her pants during a dance move. She joked with the producers that if it happened during the actual show that they should just keep rolling. Of course, it didn’t, but she still managed to deliver a show-stopping episode nonetheless.

How could we not have the hilarious Melissa McCarthy on this list? Thanks to numerous “SNL” appearances, McCarthy has proved she has what it takes to be the host with the most. When Melissa got the chance to step in for James Corden, whom she has previously worked with, you just knew she was going to shine. During her monologue, McCarthy wore her “inclusion robe.” This was to ensure everyone felt comfortable regardless of their beliefs. How sweet is that? Add in some truly funny jokes, and McCarthy’s late night guest spot became one for the books.

There have been plenty of celebrities who have guest-hosted “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” but only one has done so from their driveway. That person is Howie Mandel. Yep, Howie hosted the show while standing in front of his garage, proving he didn’t need a live audience in front of him to be funny. Of course, he couldn’t be in front of a live audience due to the ongoing pandemic, But, he didn’t let the challenge stop him from delivering an incredible show full of humour and charm. And, to be extra safe, the “Ellen” staff installed robotic cameras to make sure social distancing was respected. How very technologically advanced!

When Jennifer Lawrence stepped in for Jimmy Kimmel in 2017, she proved to be one of the most hilarious guest hosts ever. JLaw certainly didn’t hide her excitement during her interview with the one and only Kim Kardashian. Not only did the two share amusing tidbits about their lives, but they dished on the time Jen visited the Kardashian household. Let’s just say Lawrence sounds like a good time! Heck, Jennifer even asked Kim about OJ Simpson and talked about her incredible phone hacking skills. Somebody get Jennifer Lawrence her own talk show - stat!