RuPaul Shooting Talk-Show Pilot for Telepictures

RuPaul, star of VH1’s RuPaul’s Drag Race, is shooting a daytime talk-show pilot for Warner Bros.’ first-run production arm, Telepictures, sources confirmed.

The show, should it go forward, would be targeted to launch in fall 2019.

Studios are gearing up for 2019 because there are expected to be several open time-slots, including the one left open by the departure of NBCUniversal’s Harry, starring Harry Connick Jr., which has gone out of production and will leave the air after this season.

TV stations are hungry for new productions with stars attached, but at the same time, face challenging economics, so whether a show starring RuPaul can launch remains to be seen.

The show also would feature a big role for Michelle Visage, who co-hosts The RuPaul Show on VH1 and who also has served as a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race. It will offer segments on pop culture, fashion and beauty.

This story was first reported by Variety

Paige Albiniak

Contributing editor Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of television for more than 25 years. She is a longtime contributor to Next TV, Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News. She concurrently serves as editorial director for The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.). She has written for such publications as TVNewsCheck, The New York Post, Variety, CBS Watch and more. Albiniak was B+C’s Los Angeles bureau chief from September 2002 to 2004, and an associate editor covering Congress and lobbying for the magazine in Washington, D.C., from January 1997 - September 2002.