Update 7/10: The story that Seth Meyers would take over for Regis has been completely overblown. So much so that the SNL-writer told the Orlando Sun-Sentinel that the report by Showbiz 411 was a bunch of garbage:
“No, no, no, no, no. I know [Regis’ replacement] is a very important thing down there. But, right now, what I would say to you: I’m really in love with the job I have. I’m very excited to be going back [to SNL] for the election season, which is always fun.”
Of course, this would mean that the daytime talk show might not even be looking at the other proposed candidates, Josh Groban and Michael Strahan. We will see how it goes down before calling this one because the previous ‘news’ looks to be completely inaccurate.
Original 7/5: The internet is abuzz today that the search for Regis’ successor on Live! has been narrowed down to three candidates: Seth Meyers, Michael Strahan, and Josh Groban. Meyers is presumed to be the frontrunner after Showbiz 411 broke the story. The site talks about the SNL writer’s wide ranging appeal across all demographics, but does not mention the reality of the situation in that the daytime talk show badly needs a comedic spin on an increasingly saturated market.
For fans of Meyers’ Saturday Night Live gig on Weekend Update, the plan is for him to continue on the show in an on-screen role. He will obviously have to resign as the sketch series’ head writer, but it certainly looks like he could do both. In terms of his acting career though, things seem a bit inconsequential as that never took off anyways which is causing some to believe that Meyers should certainly take this daytime role as an SNL exit strategy if not for anything else.
The other candidates are Michael Strahan and Josh Groban with the former favored in that particular match up. While I have not personally witness either’s appearances on the program, I have heard good things about Strahan specifically while at the same time witnessing silence in regards to Groban. That said, if the Seth Meyers thing does not work out, it definitely would fail to surprise me and possibly the Live! audience if Strahan climbed aboard the program.