Amanda Kloots wasted no time getting emotional with her fellow cohosts during the series finale of The Talk.
The show came to an end on Friday, December 20, after 15 seasons. Kloots, 42, teared up almost instantly as she joined Sheryl Underwood, Natalie Morales, Jerry O’Connell and Akbar Gbajabiamila on stage one last time. The studio audience erupted into applause, giving the Talk team a lengthy standing ovation.
“Don’t make us get emotional!” Morales, 52, said while Underwood, 61, soaked in the moment. “This is the last time we get this, and we’re gonna get this,” Underwood said.
As the group took their seats, Kloots was seen dabbing her eyes. Underwood sat in the center, reaching out to hold O’Connell’s hand as he thanked the comedian for her guidance through the years. Kloots was next to share a sentimental message.
The Talk has been a daytime TV staple since it premiered in 2010. The show first aired with Sara Gilbert, Holly Robinson Peete, Leah Remini, Julie Chen and Sharon Osbourne as cohosts, but that panel has changed several times since then. The Talk returned for season 11 in September 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. Osbourne, […]
“When I started [on the show], we didn’t have our studio audience because it was Covid,” she recalled. “In fact, the first couple episodes I was in my house over Zoom. … And then we got our studio audience back, the way [Sheryl] lit up. And I was like, ‘Oh, wow. That’s right.’ Like, [the audience is] a part of us. You are our cast as well. And it’s taught me so much.”
As Kloots got emotional, Underwood clutched her hand to give a sense of comfort. The cameras even zoomed in on the heartfelt moment, which reminded Us of another hand-hold taking the internet by storm in recent months.
In November, Wicked costars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo embarked on a meme-worthy press tour to promote the first half of the two-part movie musical. During a junket, the costars chatted with Out magazine’s Tracy Gilchrist, who informed the pair that “people are taking the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity’ and really holding space with that and feeling power in that.”
Erivo was moved by the remark, and Grande reached out to hold only one of Erivo’s fingers. The moment instantly went viral — but Grande and Erivo were just as confused by the conversation as the rest of Us.
“I didn’t know what any part of it meant,” Grande told Variety earlier this month. “I didn’t understand the first sentence, and then I definitely didn’t understand how [Cynthia] responded. And I just wanted to be there. Because I knew something big was happening, and I didn’t know how to be there.”
Erivo agreed, joking, “After a while, I didn’t know how to be there.”
Following her sweet moment with Underwood on Friday’s finale, Kloots opened up about what being on The Talk has meant to her. (She joined the daytime show in 2021.)
“You know, I have a child,” Kloots said, referring to 5-year-old son Elvis. “And so, coming here every day and being able to talk to four people — five, I’ll include [the audience] because you’re a part of it — about really fun, silly topics to important topics … I’m so grateful for that.”
Kloots struggled to hold back tears, earning an “uh oh” from one of her cohosts. Underwood reached out once again to hold her hand.
“I think we can’t forget that,” Kloots continued. “Like, listen to one another. Talk to one another, don’t fight with each other. Really appreciate each other’s opinions … That’s what this show has always been about. It’s about talking and not fighting. And really, like, being a part of each other’s family.”
Sonja Flemming/CBS The Talk hosts reflected on their “shenanigans” — or lack thereof — over the years, including favorite guests and memorable moments. “There [are] so many great shows that we have so many memories,” Natalie Morales told Us Weekly exclusively before the show’s series finale, naming the “dynamic” Kate Biberdorf (otherwise known as Kate […]
O’Connell held out a box of tissues, joking that he would have them at the ready for the rest of the episode. He and his costars exclusively told Us Weekly before the finale that there would likely be some tears shed.
“These are forever friends,” O’Connell said. “I don’t think this is over. It is funny when a job ends though because you have to go out and make plans now to see each other. But it is going to be funny if we see a story that we normally talk about at work. I’m going to be sending it to you guys [in the group chat]!”
Underwood, who joined The Talk in its second season, looked ahead to her next chapter. “We’ve learned a lot from each other. … We came for our time. We did what we needed to do. Now Godspeed to great things,” she told Us.
